Something Is Missing
by Pyro146
Summary: A year has passed since the battle and lives are returning to normal. Or at least as normal as such tortured lives can be. Loki resurfaces on Earth and the team is called in to decide just how much of a threat he is. He's searching for something and no one knows what it is or what he wants it for. Rated for language, smut, violence, all the good stuff.
1. Chapter 1

The days had started to blur together into an endless monotonous stream of structured routine, no surprises, no shocks and that was the way Natasha liked things. Her missions ran smoothly and she was commended for how well they turned out, her skills seemed sharper than ever and she was the lethal killing machine that everybody knew her to be. Only, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something missing in her life. The team had ended up regrouping, after taking a much needed break after the battle, a year had passed and one by one, they had ended up lodging at the tower.

It wasn't as bad as Natasha had initially expected, she received as much privacy as she wanted and even though she stayed there most nights that she wasn't on a mission, she still had her small flat in case she needed a break. But things had been quiet and her stress levels were low, she went to work, she trained hard and she had her down time. It was a good mix, a healthy balance. At least there was no scorned Gods trying to take over Earth and wipe out humanity.

Natasha was tired from her latest mission, everything had gone according to plan, but there had been a few worrying moments that were annoying her slightly. After every mission her mind would run its debrief, analyzing every choice and decision, wondering if there had been any mistakes or things she could have improved on. It was a positive thing, ensuring she would constantly strive to be her best, but sometimes it was negative, sending her into moments of regret. It didn't matter that she couldn't change anything, that the past was the past and what was done had been done. The only thing she could do was make sure she was better prepared for next time.

She lowered herself onto the couch in the main lounge, her head resting in her hands as she enjoyed the familiar feeling of returning to the tower. She would probably never admit it, but the place had begun to feel like a home to her, something she had been searching for and never thought she would find. Quiet footsteps sounded behind her and she lifted her head, knowing exactly who was approaching.

"Good to have you back Nat." Clint said, coming around into her line of vision. He was wearing a sleeveless black shirt and grey slacks, no doubt he had been hard at training, judging by the shimmer of sweat across his shoulders and the tense muscles in his arms. "How did the mission go?" He asked casually, knowing details were something she wouldn't be allowed to give.

"It went well." She said simply. She didn't miss the way his eyes checked her for injuries and he nodded slightly to himself, as though pleased she had come back unharmed. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it, perking her interest and she sat up a little straighter, her eyes narrowing. "Spit it out Barton." She said quietly. He folded his arms across his chest and paused, seeming to find the best way to structure his words.

"You haven't spoken to Fury have you?" He asked, clearly already knowing the answer.

"Official debriefing is tomorrow morning." She tilted her head to the side, trying to study him. There was something bothering him, she had known him long enough to figure out when he was worried about something. He knew he couldn't lie to her and he also knew that eventually she would get the information out of him, but she was a little surprised when he complied with her previous demand and actually opted to spit it all out straight away.

"Thor is back." Natasha didn't react to the words, simple enough but holding a depth of meaning that was intensely vast. She stood slowly, her aching muscles announcing themselves but they were ignored as she focused on Clint.

"I'm assuming not for a casual visit?" She said. She was well aware that Thor had returned to Earth a few times over the past year, he felt such a need to make recompense for all the agony their world had suffered. So Clint telling her that he had returned yet again shouldn't have been too much of a shock. But it was the way he said it, as though there was a specific reason behind his visit, one that should have concerned her.

"You should get some rest." He said, completely sidestepping her question as he looked down at his tightly folded arms. "You were abroad for almost a week, you deserve some time to yourself." He was talking about a break, a holiday maybe, but Natasha knew that this meant there was enough danger for him to want her completely out of the equation. It was commendable, wanting to protect her and keep her safe, but she didn't need his concern and she just stared at him.

"Tell me what has happened Barton." She moved a little so he lifted his eyes to hers and she locked them, keeping her gaze even. "What is going on?"

He sighed, never able to keep anything from her, knowing that she would have to be informed soon anyway. "It's Loki." He spat the name slightly, disgust crossing his face. Natasha felt a chill run down her spine, but she showed no visible reaction as she waited for him to continue, fearing what he was about to say. "Thor said something happened during his punishment. He won't go into much detail, apparently most of the situation 'Is of no concern to humans.' Probably a whole lot of Asgardian mumbo jumbo that humans aren't allowed to know about. Magic, or brutal torture methods. Whatever."

Natasha just nodded slightly, keeping silent. Clint took a deep breath and glanced away but she shifted her feet again and his eyes were drawn back to hers. "Apparently there is something else out there. Something that is not only more dangerous than Loki, but was the main reason behind the whole attack."

"Are you saying Loki was controlled?" She asked, reading between the vague lines. She was surprised by the anger that flashed across Clint's face.

"Like I give a shit." He almost growled, "That fucking bastard deserves whatever punishment those Norse fairies can drag up. Thor has got some nerve coming back here and asking for help."

Natasha was confused, evidentially Clint was leaving out a piece of vital information that she needed to complete the puzzle her mind was trying to make sense of. "Will you stop beating around the bush and just tell me what is happening?" She asked, a slight exasperation in her voice. Clint's eyes hardened unexpectedly.

"Thor said that Loki has disappeared. Apparently there is every reason to believe he has come back to Earth." Natasha's skin prickled anxiously, but as always, she appeared to be calm and composed.

"Does he want revenge?" Natasha asked quietly, the slightest shiver of fear in her voice, something no one but Clint would ever be able to pick up on.

"Thor says he is looking for something. He doesn't know what, he doesn't know why. He won't even tell us how he came to that conclusion." Clint sighed, stress and worry flooding his expression in an instant. Natasha wanted to press, not content in the slightest with the lack of information she had been given, but the door to the kitchen swung open and Tony waltzed in, dressed in a casual business suit that no doubt would cause people to faint if they knew how much it had cost him.

"Romanoff." He nodded in her direction, approaching with purposeful footsteps. "Good to have you back, it's been one hell of a sausage fest around here for the better part of a week." Natasha didn't say anything, remaining as blank faced as ever as she observed him. He didn't seem nearly as worried as Clint looked, or she felt. She turned back to Clint and voiced a question with the simple raising of her eyebrows. He shook his head slightly, telling her without words that Tony didn't yet know about the potential danger facing them.

"Well this reunion had been spectacular." Tony said dryly, smoothing the front of his completely wrinkle free suit. "But I have a fundraiser to attend to. Got to keep up that image of mine." He gave her a wink and headed off toward the elevator without another word.

"Get some sleep Nat." Clint said, "I guarantee that tomorrow is going to be one hell of a day."

She could only comply, understanding the logic of needing to be refreshed and her body was already crying out, begging for sleep. She denied the pleading long enough to have a hot shower, soothing the aches of her body and enjoying the feeling of the high pressured water massaging her skin. She tried to push the recent news to the back of her mind as she crawled into bed, her damp hair wetting the pillow almost instantly. Just as she was drifting off to sleep her cell phone rang, her private, untraceable phone that was linked to one number and one number only. She dragged herself from the bed and flipped it open, not saying a word as she waited for the Director to speak.

"Full call-in tomorrow, 0900 hours." Fury said, a commanding tone as always.

"I'll be there." She said before there was a click on the other end and silence. Her bed welcomed her back into its embrace and she sighed, letting herself enjoy a peaceful night, guessing that there probably wouldn't be a chance to sleep soundly for awhile. Not if Loki himself was back on Earth, the possibility of endless destruction trailing in his wake.


	2. Secrets

Natasha's dreams were full of cold stares and words spoken with malice, bloodied hands and spiteful accusations. Piercing green eyes bored into hers and seemed to be reaching into her soul, threatening to undo her as a person, reverting her back into nothing but a soulless shell. She awoke in a panic, her skin prickling with anxiety and a slight cold sweat already breaking out. As she tried to steady her breathing and calm her racing heart, she realized her hands had bunched themselves in the blankets, her knuckles white with how much pressure they were using to clutch the material. Loki hadn't been the focus of her nightmares for a long time, after things had finally started to go back to normal, her horrific terrors of the green eyed God had started to fade, replaced with older memories or even newer ones. Obviously now that she had learned he could be a threat again, her mind had decided to drag up the images of him snarling down at her from inside his glass prison.

She showered and dressed quickly, though she wasn't running late for the meeting, she wanted to head into base as early as possible since she still technically needed to debrief from her last mission. If the world was not currently going up in smoke and flame, then she would keep a level head and act as though everything was normal. Clint was the only one she saw when she walked into the lounge, but she had a feeling Steve would be in the gym, slamming his fists into the reinforced punching bag that had become as familiar to him as alcohol had become to Tony. Everyone had their own way of dealing with the demons that resided in them and whether each method was considered to be healthy or not, nobody really intervened.

"Are you waiting for me?" Natasha asked when Clint stood up as soon as she entered, straightening his jacket a little. "More or less."He said and the first thing she noticed was the shadows under his eyes. "You didn't sleep did you?" She asked pointlessly, if she even had to voice the question, then the answer was already apparent to her. He didn't reply, just gave a mild shrug and waved his arm in the general direction of the elevator, suggesting they should leave. She was willing to bet that her mind wasn't the only one dwelling on the past horrors of the last visit from a certain Norse deity.

***

Natasha hated getting debriefed, but knew it was necessary and she wasn't the only agent that had to go through it. After a full bodied medical examination and a mildly invasive meeting with a psychologist who pointlessly tried to get into her mind, she made her way to the meeting room. She had gotten most of her paperwork filled out, her official statement had been recorded and only minor details still remained but the call-in from Fury took higher priority than the capture of a notoriously elusive German arms dealer.

"Romanoff, right on time." Fury greeted her with a nod after she had keyed in her code and pushed open the heavy door, stepping into a room that was possibly one of the most secure in the entire base. The door shut with a pressurized hiss behind her and she walked forward to the circular table, dropping into a chair beside Steve. Thor stood beside Fury, dressed in civilian clothing and not the usual Asgardian threads, looking far less impressive and causing the hammer he clutched tightly to appear almost ridiculous. He nodded at her and she returned the gesture, the mere fact that he had not even greeted her with words, showed the seriousness of the situation. "Is Stark not coming?" She asked, looking around as though expecting the billionaire to drop down from the roof or childishly jump out from under the table. Fury clicked his teeth and clasped his hands behind his back, looking about as annoyed as was possible, even though his face was hardly anything apart from neutral.

"Considering the intel I've been given, I would rather _not_ have Mr. Stark here, arguing against everything I say for the mere purpose of hearing his own voice." It was a snide comment, surprising Natasha a little to see Fury so openly bothered by someone. But Tony was not under Fury's control in the slightest and everybody knew it, Tony managed to get under Fury's skin more that he did with anybody else.

"I cannot say for certain if my brother will even be a threat." Thor said out of the blue as the door was opened again and Natasha didn't have to turn to know Clint was walking into the room. "I don't think Loki has come to Earth to enjoy our lovely sunsets." Clint said dryly, taking a seat on the other side of Natasha. "How did he escape?" Steve asked, resting his hands on the table in front of him. Thor frowned and glanced down at his prized hammer, his eyes clouded as though pulling up a distant memory.

"Unfortunately, that is my doing." He said, clearly annoyed at himself. "I… fell for one of Loki's tricks, yet again." He didn't seem to want to elaborate and Natasha could see the flash of pain in his eyes that everybody else seemed to miss. "The tesseract….?" Clint asked, when it became apparent that Thor's story was not going to be continued. "Still safe in our vault." Thor informed the group and there was a general moment of relieved sighs around the room. "Extra security measures have been taken, Loki would be a true fool to attempt theft of anything in the vault." There was a moment of silence as the group tried not to openly insult Loki and his level of intelligence, knowing Thor would react in a negative manner.

"How concerned do we need to be?" Steve asked logically. "To be honest, I do not know much about the purpose of his return here." Thor said quietly. "I do not think he has malicious intent."

"But you don't know that for sure." Fury said, turning to face the muscular God, his single eyebrow raised. "You told me you believe he is searching for something. From the brief encounters we have had with your brother, I'm assuming he won't play nice to get what he wants." Thor's face hardened. Even after everything, it seemed he did not want to think of his brother in a bad way.

"What is he looking for?" Natasha asked, fully aware of the animosity building between Thor and Fury. Her question distracted both men and all eyes fell onto Thor. "That much is not clear." Thor said and Fury opened his mouth to speak, he was used to being in charge and to hold all the cards, he was ready to demand answers. But Thor held up his hand to stop him from talking, though the motion was calm enough, Fury did not look pleased in the slightest. "There is much I cannot tell you." He said looking around at them, "I am asking you to respect this. But I came to offer any assistance that I could."

"When exactly did Loki escape." Natasha asked. Her question brought out thoughtful expressions around the room, no one had bothered to ask anything like that, assuming Thor had come to them instantly. But Natasha had a suspicious mind and she was staring at Thor intently. Mild guilt crossed his face, but he still kept his eyes toward the others. "Almost two weeks ago." He said quietly. Fury had turned away but his head snapped toward Thor immediately.

"That maniac has been loose on my planet for almost two weeks!" He exclaimed, his composure slipping more than anyone in room had seen before. "Two weeks! And you are only just telling us now!"

Natasha glanced at Clint, she could clearly see how much his face had paled at the realization that Loki had been on Earth for such a long time. Danger could have come at any turn. And yet it hadn't. Natasha sat up a little straighter, her strategic mind racing. "Maybe he doesn't want revenge against us at all." She suggested, knowing that such a thought would be on everybody's mind "Two weeks. Two weeks that we had no clue he was here. No extra security precautions have been taken in that time. He could have taken us down on the street, or even at the tower. No one would have been expecting anything. If he really is looking for something, maybe that is his only reason for coming here. Maybe total secrecy is his plan and he has no intention of causing any trouble."

The group listened to her, it wasn't often that she spoke up at meetings unless it was to ask specific questions. She didn't babble her opinions out all the time, so when she did make a suggestion, people usually made a point to listen and take in her advice. But she knew straight away that she hadn't convinced anyone, although that hadn't been her intention, she was merely voicing an idea that had come into her head.

"I'm not taking a gamble on that." Fury said calmly, after considering her words for just a moment. She just nodded silently, taking no offense. "Why have you not asked Dr. Banner to attend this gathering?" Thor asked with a little confusion in his tone. "I was under the impression he had started to work closely with this team?" "That is correct." Fury said almost casually, "But a high priority of ours is still to ensure he keeps away from stress and I can assure you this kind of news would most certainly give him the kind of stress he does not need."

"We can't just keep something like this from him." Steve said with a frown and Fury rounded on him. "Rogers, until we can discover more information about Loki's intentions, neither Dr. Banner, nor Stark are to know _anything_ about this situation. _Do I make myself clear?_" Fury glared around the room at Natasha and Clint, making it obvious that the order went for them as well. "Yes sir." The group chorused out of synchronization with each other.

Natasha was not happy about having to keep the information to herself. It wasn't that she couldn't keep a secret, she was a spy, secrets were second nature to one such as her. She understood Fury's point, Tony was unpredictable and that made him a liability, Bruce was walking on eggshells all the time normally, adding a threat like Loki in there would only create yet another problem. But they were a team and to function well, they needed to trust each other. When the secrets came to light, no doubt it would cause more drama than if everything had been fully disclosed initially. But orders were orders and Natasha would follow them, no matter how much she disagreed with the way Fury was handling things. Everybody was on edge, unsure of what to do. They were in the dark and that made the danger greater, the potential of undue paranoia becoming another factor. If they couldn't figure out Loki's plans soon, then they were going to be jumping at shadows.


	3. Discovery

Loki scowled with an expression of pure malice as he exited the London museum, not caring in the slightest about the people he pushed past as he walked. He was cloaked, an aura of invisibility covering him so that nobody could even see him and that was a good thing, his look alone was enough to kill. Every lead had brought him to a dead end, every piece of carefully extracted information had been nothing but a wild goose chase and Loki's temper was running high, his patience wearing thin. He could not teleport himself around, he needed to use as less magic as possible or his movements would be picked up and his secrecy would no longer be an option. He was sure Thor must have come to Earth, though he could not sense his presence as Loki was purposely blocking himself from the gaze of both the Allfather and Heimdall, meaning he could not search for Thor by any magical means. It was torture, having to keep his sorcery to a minimum, but he still had a few tricks up his sleeve and he was as devious as always.

He walked quickly through the streets and pushed open the door of a small shop, revealing himself as he willed away the invisibility aura and stepped inside, locking the door behind him with a calm wave of his hand. "Ah that was quick." A voice called out and a short man with a scraggly beard came out from one of the back rooms, a stack of files in his hands. He placed them down and turned to Loki, noting the anger in the God's expression. "I assume you didn't find what you were looking for then." The man said with a voice filled to the brim with apprehension. Loki said nothing, but took a menacing step forward, his eyes threatening the man more than words could have. "Wait, wait!" The shop keeper said quickly, pulling up one of the files with a shaking hand and handing it to Loki. "I managed to find something-" "I have grown weary of your incompetence." Loki cut him off, his voice calm, but his eyes still murderous. Loki's hand closed around the man's throat and easily lifted him from the ground as he tried to desperately pull Loki's hand away.

"Give me one reason why I should not crush you." Loki hissed, enjoying the blatant fear in the shorter man's eyes. He choked out a word, but Loki could not understand so he loosened his grip just the slightest amount. "I'm sorry? One more time?" He said teasingly, getting ready to snap the man's neck.

"Romanova!" The man gasped, his terrified eyes wide and pleading. "Romanova, one of the descendants!"

He paused and stared intently at the man who lifted the file he had been trying to hand Loki before he had been attacked. Loki set the man down, not bothered as he stumbled backwards and fell onto his backside in an undignified fashion. The God stepped forward and picked up the file that had dropped from the man's hand, opening the front cover to find a rough scrawl of a family tree. His green eyes studied the first page and then the next few, a delicate smirk beginning to show on his lips.

"You are certain that this is all correct?" He asked the man sprawled on the floor. "Yes." He whispered, shaking as he clawed his way into the chair behind the front counter. "I have checked the information thoroughly. She is the last living descendant and there is a chance that she has what you are looking for."

Loki smiled in a way that was nothing but malicious, his eyes filled with something dark and evil as he approached the man who shrunk into the chair as much as was possible. "And if this is another dead end?" Loki asked with a ghostly tone, the temperature in the room dropping significantly. "Please, this is all I can do!" The man whimpered as Loki reached for his throat again, "I have no other way to help you!" Loki withdrew his hand and stepped back, the temperature in the room returning to normal and a more neutral expression crossing his face.

"Then you are of no further use." The God said almost casually and summoned a dagger from thin air, gripping the handle tightly in his hand. Before the other man could make any protests or even understand what his fate was, Loki stepped toward him and slit his throat, revelling in the sight of the blood that spilled freely from the gaping wound. After a few seconds of spluttering, the light in the man's eyes faded and his head lolled to the side, his body slumped over the edge of the chair. Loki flicked his hand and the dagger disappeared, his cloak of invisibility returned as he stepped back out into the streets of London. He looked down at the file in his hand and that same smirk reappeared on his lips as one long finger stroked the high resolution photograph in the centre of the page.

"Little spider, beware. I am coming for you." Loki chuckled darkly and started to walk down the crowded street, his presence completely unnoticed by all the people he passed.

* * *

_Natasha knew the dream was a new one, she couldn't remember ever having been to the small forest that she was standing in, nothing around her seemed familiar enough to make her think she was having any kind of flashback. Her senses were sharp but as she glanced around, everything seemed strange and wobbly, her mind felt disorientated and confused. 'Hello?' She called out, not exactly expecting anyone to answer. A man appeared in front of her in an instant, causing Natasha to have to force herself not to step back by reflex. 'Hello Natalia.' The man said, his eyes locked into hers. Natasha studied him, her mind desperately trying to figure out who he was and the reason for his presence in her dream. 'We have never had the chance to meet.' He said, as though understanding what she was trying to do. 'Are you real?' She asked, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. 'You ask a question like that in the middle of a dream?' The man chuckled quietly and stroked his short beard. It was neatly trimmed, but seemed an odd style, almost like it wasn't quite the same as modern times. She noticed his clothing, some sort of officers uniform perhaps? Red and black, with a white sash across the middle, insignias that looked familiar and yet she could not place them. 'I do not have much time.' The man said suddenly, his voice more urgent that it had been. 'Listen to me very carefully Natalia. The darkness is coming. I have come to warn you of it.' Natasha didn't say anything, unsure of how to react. 'Do you know of the Serpent's Treasure?' The man asked and Natasha nodded. 'Yes. I know where it is.' 'Good, good.' The man looked relieved, but did not offer any explanation as to why. 'Wear it.' He said almost forcefully, 'Wear it and do not take it off, under any circumstances. Do you understand me?' Before Natasha could reply, her vision swirled and the forest disappeared in a haze of green and red, the strange man vanishing as though he never existed, causing Natasha to wonder if her mind was finally slipping over the edge._

Blue eyes snapped open and Natasha sat straight up almost instantly, her heart beating steadily and lacking the usual racing rhythm that she had begun to wake up to. Her mind was flooded with images from her strange dream and she shuddered at the eeriness of the whole situation. "JARVIS, disconnect the cameras." She said as she stood up, pulling on her robe and crossing the room to her wardrobe. "Yes Miss. Romanoff." The computers voice replied. Natasha considered that her paranoia may have been unjustified, but it had been the thing to keep her alive for so long and she would continue to rely on it when she felt the need to.

She pushed through the hanging clothes and revealed the safe tucked securely at the back of her wardrobe. After keying in her code and letting the bio scanner match her thumbprint, she still neglected to believe her paranoia was too much. The small door clicked open and she reached inside, ignoring the trivial items of foreign currency and various passports that contained her different identities. Her fingers closed over a small box and she pulled it out, kneeling down on the floor to open it.

Inside was the few things that held any connection with her past. A couple of photos that had seen better days, a note from an old friend, a full paged letter written in Russian that Natasha had read close to dozen times. Treasures that she bypassed to extract a much smaller and thinner box, wrapped in a red cloth. She had looked at the contents many times, never really understanding why it seemed significant. She gently took the lid off and set it aside, her delicate fingers looping under the silver chain and lifting the necklace up to the light. It was not the most remarkable piece of jewellery that she had ever seen, it was plain by most standards but held its own regal beauty. A small circular gem of shinning green sat in the centre of a simply designed clasp. It appeared as though a snake had coiled around the gem, framing the green with a nice blend of sliver. It looked almost protective of the jewel, thus the necklace earned the name 'Serpent's Treasure'. Natasha looked closely, certain that it was not an emerald, even though the colouring would lead her to that suggestion.

She had no idea how much it was worth, she had never wanted to get it appraised and it held more sentimental value that anything else. On the back of the pendant was a tiny symbol that had been scratched in almost haphazardly, as though the etcher had been rushed at the time. Natasha's eyes widened as she recognized the symbol, even though she had seen it many times. It was the same insignia that was shown of the uniform of the man in her dream. The official symbol of Nicholas II. Tsar of Russia.

"Well, fuck." Natasha muttered under her breath as she opted to slip the necklace around her neck. She had never worn it before, it was the only thing she had from her family line and she was terrified of breaking it. No one knew she had such a thing, not even Clint. A few years back he had urged her to try and trace her family history, to which she had argued profusely. But curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had caved, managing to discover where she had some from. She wasn't sure how many people knew she was descended from the Russian royal family, but it wasn't a fact she had decided to broadcast and Clint had never pestered her on the subject of her heritage again, even he was unaware.

She dressed and made sure the necklace was tucked out of sight, a little unsure as to why she was taking advice from a strange dream that she was already having trouble recalling. Somewhere in the back of her mind, a thought sprung forward that she couldn't help but acknowledge. The moment she had put the necklace on, she had felt just a little safer, a ridiculous notion that she tried to scoff at. Yet the thought had still arisen in the first place, causing her to wonder if there was some stable truth to the notion, however insane that idea was.


	4. Little Spider

Natasha had spent a good portion of the day in the gym, borrowing Steve's punching bag to further sharpen her skills and snapping at anyone who tried to tell her to ease up. It wasn't uncommon for her to run herself into the ground while training, so her behaviour wasn't considered unusual and of course both Clint and Steve understood it was more or less in preparation for the possible danger that they had been forbidden to discuss with the others. Tony was thrilled to have Thor back, too excited about the God's presence to actually enquire much behind his visit, possibly assuming it was just another opportunity to spend some time with Jane. Bruce was busy with his work, apparently he had dipped into the research towards vaccines, pleased to be helping people for once instead of hurting them. Everybody was busy with their own thing, allowing Natasha time to slam her fists into the reinforced bag, easing the tension in her muscles with every delicious punch.

When she finally resurfaced for dinner, she was tired and sore, but experiencing the mild euphoria as her brain released a stream of chemicals into her system as a reward for her perseverance.

"Thor, take the hammer off the table please." She heard Steve say as she came into the dining room and was greeted with the delicious aroma of macaroni and cheese. "Evening Romanoff." Tony greeted her cheerily as she dropped into a chair and grabbed a plate to help herself to the steaming pot in the centre of the table. Thor was pushing the mac and cheese around his plate with a suspicious look, clearly unused to the food. "This looks strange." He said, earning a laugh from Tony. "It tastes better than it looks." Tony assured him, clapping the Asgardian on the back with a grin. "Good to know my skills in the kitchen are appreciated." Steve muttered dryly, handing Natasha some cutlery. "I mean no disrespect." Thor said hurriedly and took a forkful, quickly gobbling it down by way of an apology. "It is very good." He said sincerely, causing Steve to smile, nodding his thanks.

"Any left for us?" A voice called and Natasha turned to see Clint and Bruce walk into the room. "There's heaps." Steve said as the other two sat down and helped themselves. Small talk seemed to be the general theme of the dinner conversation, of which Natasha didn't join in, simply eating her meal in silence. Afterwards she helped Steve clear the table, knowing the others weren't going to offer their assistance and she walked with him into the kitchen. The Captain had become well acquainted with kitchen appliances and generally did most of the cooking, finding it to be something he enjoyed, much to the delight of everyone else who would have just scrounged for food instead of creating a full meal. "Let me do that." Natasha said as Steve went to load the dishwasher. He smiled in thanks and allowed her to stack the plates, still trying to assist her. To his credit, he didn't make a single joke about women supposed to be the ones familiar with the kitchen. He had tried once, but the resulting look from Natasha had caused the comment to die in his throat before it was expressed.

"Plans for tonight?" he asked idly as she hit the button for the dishwasher to begin its cycle. "It will be an early one for me Captain." She said quietly and he nodded. "Me too, need to be ready. Just in case. You know." She didn't reply, there wasn't much that needed to be said and they couldn't openly discuss the situation, the eyes and ears of Stark tower were always observing everything.

Natasha said good night to the others and headed to her room, one hand absentmindedly fingering the pendant around her neck. She showered and scrubbed her body, eradicating the sweat she had accumulated during the day, sighing when she finally felt clean again. She dried herself and slipped on some underwear, crawling into her bed and all but burying herself under the blankets, falling asleep to the sound of rain starting to pour from the evening sky.

* * *

Loki stood in front of Stark tower with a frown across his lips. He had been many places in his long life, realms and worlds that were beyond imagining. But the tower was perhaps his least favourite place ever visited. It was the site of his most humiliating defeat, where he had failed and been beaten into the ground by the rage monster he had been trying to control. It was downright embarrassing to have to return, but he had a specific purpose and it needed to be completed.

He walked forward through the rain, still unable to be seen by anybody, though there were very few people who were venturing out into the small storm. Loki knew Thor was inside the tower, he could feel the presence of the thunderous God, while still able to ensure the feeling was not reciprocated. He had no intention of having to actually walk through the building, even though he would not be seen on the security cameras or picked up by the sensors, it would be a tedious exercise and a much faster option would be instant teleportation. He had been unable to do so previously, knowing the action would draw attention to his presence on Earth, but the distance he would be travelling was exceptionally small and therefore would take an insignificant amount of magic to perform.

In a flash he had transported himself inside, arriving at the precise location he had intended of course. The spider's room was not something he had expected, though he hadn't dwelt on the thought of how it would look. He noted she was fast asleep in her bed, the sound of her even breathing filling the room and Loki took a moment to observe his surroundings. There were no personal effects visible, no photos or even anything that suggested anybody had taken up lodging in the room. Except for one thing.

Loki moved silently around to her bedside dresser, his cloak trailing softly over the floor, dampening the threads of the rug he walked over. The thickly bound book beside her bed looked new and undamaged, most likely barely read. Slightly intrigued, he picked up the heavy item and smirked when he read the title. _Norse mythology and its relation to modern society._ Ah, so the little spider had been researching her enemy. He chuckled quietly and was about to set the book back down when he realized there was a slip of paper marking a specific page. Curiosity got the better of him as it usually did and he opened it, not entirely sure what he even expected to find.

A section of the page had been circled and Loki held his hand up, letting it glow softly so he could illuminate the writing well enough to read.

'_He is depicted as the instigator, the trouble maker and by definition, the enemy. But according to most of the ancient texts, Loki was not as bad as the view we hold of him today. He had as much compassion as the rest of the Gods, he just showed this side less often. As the years transpired and the more sinister view stuck, those unaware of all the accounts have labelled him as the villain. Debate continues as to which is the real Loki; the mischief maker, or the bringer of chaos.'_

Loki sneered and closed the book, amused that she had circled that particular passage. "Wondering if I had a softer side?" He murmured quietly to her sleeping form. She was barely visible beneath the blankets, only her hand and a veil of red hair could be seen. He put the book down and moved around to the other side of her bed. From thin air he conjured the dagger he had previously used to end the very informant that had led him to the little spider. How fitting that it would have this specific task, as though completing a circle and clearing loose ends. He waved his free hand over her face, muttering a brief and simple spell that would ensure she remained in a deep sleep. Unfortunately to complete the spell he had come to do, slightly stronger magic would have to be used and with Thor so close, he would no doubt be discovered, so he would have to be fast. But after that it would not matter, the moment he achieved his purpose and extracted the information from the spider's blood, he could disappear and things would fall into place.

All he needed was a single drop, just one drop of crimson liquid from the woman before him, but he smirked, knowing that he was going to spill far more than that. She had proved herself an annoying enemy and he felt no remorse or guilt at ending her in such a devious way, while she slept, unable to defend herself. She was a treacherous being herself, how many had she killed in a similar manner? She was lacking honour as much as he was.

He pulled the blankets away from her and his green eyes travelled the length of her body. Her hair had grown much longer since their last encounter, soft flaming curls fell about her and covered most of her face and neck, shifting slightly as she breathed in and out. She was, admittedly, a stunningly beautiful being. Her body was the epitome of womanly shape and had no doubt been the very weapon used to end so many of her targets. The malicious smile returned as he observed her, thoughts rolling around in his mind. He was in no real hurry and he had such a wonderful specimen before him, what harm could there be in taking a moment to enjoy the advantage he had over her? How many men could ever say they have had the legendary Black Widow at their mercy?

A noise sounded elsewhere in the tower and Loki was reminded that he needed to complete his task before being discovered. "If only we had more time, little spider." He said quietly and grabbed her wrist, not bothering to be gentle since he had cast a spell to keep her unconscious. The moment he touched her skin, her blue eyes snapped open and locked onto him, confusion and disorientation showing in them for just a moment before the look changed to determination. It was only due to Loki's shock, that she managed to shove him forcefully backwards before swiftly rolling in the other direction away from him. Loki stumbled slightly but quickly regained his balance, his expression turning to anger as he observed her pulling a gun from her bedside draw.

She lifted it and fired without hesitation, squeezing the trigger of her weapon in quick succession, her face hardened and so different from the relaxed look it had while she was sleeping. Almost effortlessly, Loki teleported to the side, ensuring her bullets missed him entirely. But the sound was not a quiet one and Loki knew he had to act fast, soon her assistance would arrive. He took a step toward her as she readjusted her aim to his new location.

His breath caught in his throat as he saw her hair move and her arms repositioned, her long curls revealing the necklace he had been unable to see as she slumbered. That was it, the very thing he had come to search the Earth for, the object that he desperately needed, only a few feet from him. His look must have drastically changed, because something in her eyes shifted slightly, evidently confused by his altered expression of sudden shock.

Before either of them could even make their next move, the door of her room was slammed open and Loki scowled, recognizing the identity of the intruder without having to turn.

He had only moments before Thor attacked, he could already sense him bringing Mjolnir into a backswing, getting ready to hurl it in Loki's direction, something he could not allow. He did not consider his actions for long, picking the first viable option to cross his mind. He rapidly teleported to Natasha, seizing her by the wrist and taking a last look at Thor, sneering derisively as he dematerialized himself from the tower, bringing the little spider with him. Thor's echoing bellow sounded in his head, even as he disappeared with his new captive.


	5. Trapped

The moment Loki and Natasha rematerialized, he felt her body slump beside him but made no move to catch her as she collapsed to the floor. He thought that might happen, human bodies were startlingly weak and fragile, they simply could not handle the internal pressure of being transported in such a way. He scowled down at her unconscious form, resisting the urge to attempt to just slit her throat. She had ruined everything and she probably wasn't even aware of it.

He left her where she had fallen, sprawled over the carpet in only her underwear, he had no idea how long it would be until she regained consciousness again and was not going to wait around until it happened. He had brought them to the small flat he had been occupying during his stay, it lacked in personal touches as much as her own room had but Loki wasn't exactly the 'homely' type and it had not been a plan to stay even as long as he had. It was merely somewhere to sleep and think while he completed his search, only having anticipated it would take a small number of days at most. And now he had in fact found the item, but was not any closer to obtaining it, even though it was fully in his possession. He walked out of the lounge and cast cloaking spells on the entire house, not bothered in the slightest about using too much magic since Thor had clearly discovered his presence on the dreary planet he had been forced to come to. The spells ensured that neither he nor Natasha could be tracked, whether by means that would involve Earth technology, or Asgardian sorcery.

His plan had been so very simple. Find the stone, obtain it by any means necessary and now everything would have to change. He let out a low growl and slammed his fist into the wall, punching through the plaster and drywall as though it was made of paper. He took a deep breath to calm himself, it would be no use to let his anger overrule him, he needed to have a clear head if he was to find his way out of the new predicament. A slight moan caught his sudden attention and he didn't bother to wipe the scowl from his face as he moved back into the lounge, where his captive was stirring. He took great pleasure in knowing she would most likely be under both mental and physical distress.

* * *

The first thing Natasha noticed when she came to, was a wave of nausea rolling through her, so powerful that she wasn't even able to open her eyes until it had ebbed slightly. She moaned and felt her body twitch involuntarily, her mind running some sort of subconscious systems check, making sure she had no injuries. She concentrated on her breathing for a few moments before finally opening her eyes and experiencing another attack of nausea, mixed with a crippling moment of dizziness. If she'd had the energy, she would have sworn in a way that would probably have made Tony proud.

"Wake up wench, I have no time for this." The voice was harsh and demanding, impatient with an undertone of anger that she could pick up probably better than they wanted her to. She let her vision swim for a moment before her eyes fell on Loki, though there seemed to be three of them swinging back and forth. She swallowed and waited until her vision had cleared entirely, the imagined copies moving into a single figure who was clearing down at her.

She knew she was in serious trouble.

"It was to be so simple." He said, the anger starting to rise and she didn't move a muscle, mainly because her limbs felt like they had been put through a blender and then turned to jelly. "All I needed was the blood of a Romanova descendant. I could have tracked the stone using a basic spell and I would have been on my way." He took a step closer but still Natasha couldn't move, forced to simply stare up at him and wait for him to continue. "But now you wear it. Embossed with _his_ symbol. And that, has altered _everything._"

"I have no idea what you are talking about." She said quietly, her voice sounding strained and full of effort, but thankfully lacking any fear. She would not give him the satisfaction of showing how terrifying he was, especially while her body could do nothing to defend her.

She saw his composure snap in an instant and he was suddenly directly in front of her, moving impossibly fast, one hand clasped tightly around her throat. He pulled her effortless off the ground and she dangled at his mercy, spluttering as his grip tightened, threatening to cut off her breathing capabilities.

"Of course you do not, you stupid woman!" He spat, his face inches from hers as he held her off the floor. "You and your kind are nothing but primitive beings who dabble in things beyond them. You are nothing but-" He had been squeezing steadily as he spoke, his hand contracting around her windpipe until it had become incredibly painful. Just as she was thinking she was going to pass out, he suddenly released her with a sharp hiss and stumbled back as she fell back down to the floor. She coughed and clutched at her throat, eyes watering a little with the strain on her breathing.

"Take the necklace off!" He suddenly yelled and she stared up at him, too shocked to even think of complying. She could see his hand, the one that had been around her neck and it was a shinning pink, as though it had been burned by a hot iron. His face was contorted in rage and he didn't wait for her to complete his order, taking a step forward and reaching for the necklace himself. The moment his fingers closed around the pendant Natasha felt the strangest rush of energy and was stunned as Loki grunted, yanking his hand back instantly, another burn clearly visible along his fingers from where he had gripped the necklace with the intention of ripping it from her.

To his credit, he seemed almost undeterred, though it was obvious his hand was in a large amount of pain, he overruled it, his mind focusing back on her.

"Take. It. Off." He said with a menacing voice that should have sent her running. Natasha was a woman who had survived largely due to her instincts and her ability to think on the spot. She could draw accurate conclusions from very little data given to her and sometimes those conclusions were desperately needed to save her life. She didn't understand how, or why, but for some inexplicable reason, he was not able to physically remove the necklace from her and that gave her an edge over him. Even though she truly had no idea as how it was even really an advantage.

"No." She said resolutely, showing some of that legendary composure that she was known for, never one to break down or panic when faced with danger. The defiance clearly surprised Loki and she used her small moment to make a split second decision. She eyed the doorway and opted to make a break for it. She didn't think she would get very far, but she sure as hell going to try anyway.

She made it about two steps before he caught her with an arm around her waist and skilfully diverted her momentum so she all but lunged in another direction. She stumbled but thankfully she did not end up back on the floor, her dignity remaining somewhat intact. She turned to face an outraged Loki, his hand already flying up for another attack, even though she was out of his reach. He made a miming motion of trying to strangle her again and her hands reflexitively flew to her neck, well aware that he was opting for a more magical based attack. But she felt no pain or discomfort, whatever he was trying to do, it had absolutely no effect on her.

He looked ridiculous, standing there with his arm out, veins almost throbbing on his temple with the amount of effort he was using to try and strangle her. He let out a frustrated cry and whipped his arm to the side. The wall next to Natasha exploded and she flinched, hands thrown over her head to protect herself from the rubble that showered her. When the dust had settled she glanced back up at Loki who had composed himself, but had murderous rage in his eyes. He was tight lipped, staring at her necklace as though willing it to pull itself from her neck.

"You can't hurt me." Natasha whispered, her eyes widening as her mind came to that conclusion. "The necklace… stops you." It seemed ludicrous even as she said it, how on earth could a piece of jewellery offer protection against an angry God? And yet, Natasha was part of a task-force that had defended the Earth from an alien army, she thought maybe she should stop labelling things as 'impossible', without giving the idea some thought.

It was obvious from the flash of anger in Loki's eyes that she had hit the nail right on the head, his burnt had twitched slightly and she would have bet everything she had, that he was resisting the urge to try and rip out her throat. That notion alone made her suddenly choose _not_ to try and antagonize him in any way. She wasn't exactly going to be putting all her money behind the mystical necklace theory.

The next thing Loki did shocked her perhaps more than the necklace situation had. He took a deep breath and the anger left his eyes, his shoulders relaxing as he clasped his hands behind his back, moving into a very formal stance.

"Are you cold?" He asked calmly and she had to stop her jaw from hitting the floor.

"I…ah, what?" She asked, certain she had heard him wrong, wondering why there was suddenly no threat detectable in his voice.

"Are you cold." He repeated patiently, motioning to her body with one hand before repositioning it behind his back. "Your attire does not suggest warmth."

Natasha looked down, remembering for the first time that she was still only in her underwear. Reflexes urged her to try and cover herself, but not only had she been like that long enough for him to already see, she had no intention of looking stupid by pointlessly using her hands to cover what little she would even be able to.

"I'm not cold." She said simply, completely unsure how to react from the sudden change of events.

"You are lying." Loki said with a voice so casual that he may have been announcing the time, or observing the weather. He waved his hand and Natasha was suddenly enveloped in a thick blanket, surprising her a little. As far as being kidnapped went, Natasha had been the victim a few times and although she had been in more brutal situations, she had never been in a more confusing one.

'_Note to self,'_ she thought as she clutched the blanket tightly around her. '_Beware of stunning mood swings from Loki._'

She waited for him to make the next move, she may be holding one of the cards, but he definitely hand a hand on the rest of the deck and she was certain making any rash decisions or demanding answers would not help her case. At least he was calm and not attempting to injure her, as far as she was concerned, that was a step in the right direction.

"Where are we?" She asked quietly, her eyes studying his face, looking for any signs that he was about to snap again, but he appeared to have truly calmed down at least momentarily. "London." He said simply and though she didn't show it, she was surprised he even gave her an answer.

"London?" She repeated, confused. She looked around at her surroundings for the first time, her mind still keeping track of Loki and here he was standing in the room. The flat they were in was scarcely furnished but modern and clean, apart from the pile of rubble that had once been a wall. "Is the owner of this place permanently incapacitated in the basement or the bathroom closet?" She asked without looking back to him. Her voice was dry, she made no effort to hide the fact that she genuinely believed there was the possibility of finding a body dismembered somewhere in the house.

"No he… he suddenly felt the need to leave the country for awhile." Loki said and she flicked her eyes back to him, noting the smirk that played on his lips. She didn't ask him to elaborate, she didn't feel the need to know what methods he had used to secure the house they were currently standing in. She opened her mouth to ask another question when she saw his eyes flicker in the strangest way. His shimmering green altered to an eerie blue for just a moment before switching back again. Though Loki didn't react in a dramatic way, it was clear that he was aware of what happened by the look of annoyance that crossed his face.

"Excuse me." He said simply and strode from the room with purposeful steps. Natasha didn't know what had happened and she didn't care why he suddenly opted to leave, her thoughts were on her own escape. She moved silently toward the doorway that she had tried to make a break for earlier, her keenly trained senses picking up the sound of Loki's footsteps as he continued to put distance between them. She pulled her focus away from Loki, knowing she needed to get the hell away from him. Magical necklace or not, he clearly would not to hesitate to kill her if given the opportunity.

She slammed into a wall and bounced back, her mind a mess of confusion as she shook herself and stared at the open doorway that showed no visible reason for resistance. She stepped forward and was met with an invisible barrier, her eyes widening as she threw her hands out, ignoring the fact of how ridiculous she looked as she all but groped her hands along the unseen wall. Determined, she launched a couple of punches and cringed as her fists connected with force, but no results were made.

"Shit." She swore under her breath. She had enough sense to understand that she was being kept in the room by magical means and she glanced around with wide eyes, subconsciously rubbing the pendant around her neck, trying to ease the panic that welled up inside of her.

* * *

**AN:**

**Thank you for the reviews so far, reviews are greatly appreciated as this is my first official fanfiction and I would definitely love to know how I'm doing.**

**And also, smut coming up in the next chapter.**


	6. Manipulation

Loki stood in the centre of the kitchen his body rigid and his expression strained, eyes shut impossibly tight.

'_I have already given you sufficient time!' _A booming voice sounded inside his head.

'_There has been a complication, I-'_

'_I care not for your feeble excuses!' _The furious voice cut Loki off before he could even begin to explain the situation. _'You have already failed me once, I offer you mercy and redemption, if you fail me a second time, the consequences will be more horrific than you could possibly imagine!'_

Before Loki could reply, the presence inside his head had withdrawn and he was left alone once again, opening his eyes and taking a deep breath, his nerves tingling. His little 'meetings' were never pleasant, it was not a fun experience to have somebody swim around in his mind, though they never seemed to last very long and Loki could not help but wonder if there was a deeper meaning behind that.

He heard a bang from the other end of the house and he sighed, rubbing his temples with his long fingers as if the simple motion would take away all his problems. The little spider had no idea just how intricate of a web she had found herself caught in. He needed the stone that was draped around her neck, but as long as it was there, he could not simply remove her head to get it. Of course she didn't understand why she was protected, giving him just a slight advantage over her, but she was evidentially aware that he could not harm her and that meant none of his usual threats.

He grinded his teeth as he realized that he would have to rely on his manipulation techniques to ensure the results of the situation came out in his favour, unfortunately he knew she often relied on the same skill. It would be a battle of wits no doubt, but Loki had a slight edge. She had various methods at her disposal, her body, her words, etc. But Loki not only had his vast knowledge of magic, he had almost a thousand years of which he had been practising it. He was a master, there was no one that could stand against him. He would have to try and convince her to willingly remove the pendant from around her neck, using no physical force at all. Then, he would slit her throat and ensure her death came in an undignified way, a revenge of sorts, for causing him so many problems.

He moved back into the lounge as silently as possible, years and years of sneaking around the palace to avoid people with exceptional hearing had given him such skill. The spider was doing exactly as he expected, she had already tried to escape and when that plan had failed she had begun to look for a weapon.

He was surprised when she suddenly stiffened, in the process of checking under the cushions. She spun to face him, obviously her senses had picked up his presence and alerted her. It was impressive for a mortal. Loki had spent a lot of time observing scenes without anybody ever knowing he was close.

"What do you want with me?" She asked, putting him off guard a little.

"I want nothing with you." He said truthfully, he thought it was clear he desired the necklace and had only taken her because she was wearing it. He eyed her hand as it moved to wrap her fingers around the pendant and he felt a sudden surge of hope, foolishly thinking she was simply going to rip it off and hand it to him.

She saw the look in his eyes and it angered Loki that she clearly understood exactly what he had been thinking. Of course she made no move to hand him the necklace, clutching it almost possessively.

"If you give me the necklace, you will be free to go." Loki said very calmly, too calmly.

"Liar." She shot and he almost rolled his eyes. How often had that word been sneered in his direction? Though, he couldn't berate her since she was entirely correct. She was very aware that the necklace was the only thing keeping her alive.

"My team will find me." She said quietly, resolution in her eyes. She truly believed they would be coming for her and that made him laugh aloud. She looked like a child who was wishing upon a star, hoping with all their heart that their dreams would come true. It was pitiful.

"Oh you foolish creature. You have no idea of the power I wield do you?" He took a step forward and noted that she did not take one back, as he expected. "This house has been placed under a concealing spell. No one will find you, not your precious _Avengers_, not any of the magical wielders of Asgard. My sorcery is strong, you pathetic mortal, the only way for anybody other than me to break the enchantment, is to wait for a point where the moon has a reflection from the-"

He cut off when he saw the look on her face, the self satisfied smirk that was barely detectable at the corner of her lips. Anger flooded him and it took a great deal of his restraint to maintain his calm composure. She had played him, _again_. She had known exactly what to say to make him want to gloat about his power enough to reveal a weakness. It was an embarrassment to him that she seemed to be making a habit of manipulating him to release his information.

The battle of wits had begun.

He saw the very slight moment of arrogance that she had, pleased with how easily she had managed to twist him into telling her something he should not have and it made him more determined.

"I will give you, one last chance." He said, hands returning to be clasped behind his back. There was no threat in his voice or in his body posture, he was standing in a stance that had been drilled into him from a young age, a stance that a prince of Asgard should use all the time.

"Give me the necklace."

"No." Her voice was as calm as his, but held just as much determination. He wanted the necklace and she was not going to give it up. He was an unstoppable force and she was an immovable object, it was time to see if he could alter their situation from being such a cliché paradox.

"Natalia…." He spoke the word with a flow of magic, making it sound echoed and as though it had no specific source, originating from everywhere in the room at once. Her eyes widened ever so slightly and her body became rigid, causing Loki to smile. That was the very opposite effect of what he was searching for.

"Natalia…" he whispered again, lacing the word with even more magic as he slowly crossed the room towards her. An enchanting smile crossing his lips as he observed the effects of his magic.

He watched her eyelids flutter slightly, dipping a little but not fully closing. Her lips parted softly and her breathing changed dramatically, though it was obvious she was trying to keep it smooth and even, it began to come in shorter gasps.

"Wh-what-" She tried to speak, confusion showing in her blue eyes, but Loki pressed a gentle finger to her lips, causing her to fall silent.

"Shhh." He whispered quietly, "Give me the necklace Natalia." He knew her real name of course, even if he hadn't have come across it while conducting his search, he remembered it from when he had taken over that pathetic fool, Barton. He had told him everything about the little spider, it seemed she had placed her trust in him almost entirely, revealing many of her secrets to the archer.

Loki trailed his finger from her lips, gently brushing it over her skin as it moved down along her neck, taking care not to touch the pendant, knowing it would burn him again. The marks from before had already healed, but he had no intention of receiving new ones if he could avoid it.

* * *

Natasha's body and mind seemed to be completely betraying her. A feeling was washing through her unlike any she had ever experienced before. It was powerful and intense, seemingly built of instinct and basic desire. It was something close to lust, pure physical attraction to the man standing in front of her. In the back of her mind, she understood that he was filling her with this feeling in a magical way and that infuriated her, but the more she tried to be angry and to resist him, the more her body openly craved his touch.

"St-stop this." She breathed, even her voice sounded unsure of itself and he picked up on it.

"Oh, but you do not want me to." He said huskily, his voice laced with that silky sound and the feeling within her increased significantly. Her head tilted back a little and a tiny moan escaped her throat before she could stop it. In her mind she fought against the fog that was confusing her senses, fearing on some level that he was going to take her will away and reduce her to a mindless slave as he had done with Clint.

But she knew that what he was doing was different, she wasn't being controlled by him, not technically. From what she could gather while her mind was still lucid, he was simply altering her perception and encouraging her to want him with an inflaming desire.

Fucking magic.

"Stop." She said suddenly, her eyes meeting his in a moment of resolution, knowing that she wouldn't be able to hold her determination long.

"No." He hissed with a malicious smile and her composure snapped like it had never been there in the first place.

Loki tore the blanket from around her shoulders and pushed her body up against the wall, almost causing her to trip on the rubble that still lay around them. She feebly tried to push him off even as a moan came through her lips, betraying any way she tried to convince him that he was not winning.

"You cannot fight me little spider." He murmured in her ear before his lips moved to her neck and she tilted her head to the side, allowing him to devour her with rough kisses and a slight grating of his teeth. One of his hands travelled the length of her body and slid between her legs in a tantalizing fashion. She squirmed but her body obviously wanted him and her hips betrayed her by pushing against his hand as he teasingly began to rub her.

"Look at me wench." He hissed and she flicked her eyes open to meet his green ones, unaware that she had even closed them, too focused on the movements of his hand. Her mind and body was craving him intensely, but she was still herself in almost every way and she was not going to let Loki simply override her will so effortlessly.

"I understand it all now." She said, her face contorting in pleasure as the movement of his hand increased and he leaned his face in closer. He slipped his hand inside her underwear and before she could even blink he had slid two fingers inside her, smiling deviously as he felt how wet she was. She moaned, the feeling overwhelming and she had to force herself to keep her focus on him.

"And what is it that you understand, little spider?" He asked almost casually, clearly not coming undone as she was. His free hand took one of her wrists and then clasped the other, bringing her hands up above her head so her body was stretched. She noted he had to take care not to hurt her, or the necklace would have to do its job. He pushed his fingers deeper inside her and elicited another moan from her as her back arched off the wall slightly.

"All the ancient tales," She panted, her hips refusing not to buck against his hand as her body flamed with desire. "The depiction of you as a sexual figure. Lies, all of it. You tricked each and every lover didn't you? You manipulated them into thinking they wanted you. Because no one would want you willingly." She saw anger cross his expression and it gave her satisfaction, even as she moaned again due to the sudden increased movements of his fingers sliding in and out of her.

"You are just the whore of Norse mythology." She hissed maliciously and then instantly knew she had gone too far.

Loki's robes disappeared from him in an instant and Natasha had no time to even catch a view of the God before his body was pressed against hers again. He rapidly tore her underwear from her and dropped her hands, lifting one of her legs by her thigh and slamming himself inside her. She cried out from the sudden shock but he wasted no time before beginning to thrust into her, lacking any sort of gentleness as he hissed into her ear.

"You are the whore, you despicable wench." He spat, anger in his words. "You use your body as the tool for your craft." His hips pounded against hers in a powerful fashion and she resisted the urge to cry out, detesting her body for enjoying it so much.

"Even now your body begs for me!" He yelled in her ear, increasing his pace and force, slamming himself deeper inside her with every thrust. "You are a victim and yet you are moaning at the feeling that your captor is giving you! _You_ are the whore!"

Natasha hadn't even realized there was sounds coming from her, they were being released by instinct as the rough and merciless motions of Loki's hips became all she could focus on.

* * *

Loki had not intended it to go so far, he had merely tried to manipulate her mind into a compliant state, ensuring she would hand over the necklace willingly. The opportune moment would have been just as she reached her state of euphoria, but when her wards started to fly he had snapped in a heartbeat. He would not let her speak to him in such a way. She was nothing, she was beneath him in every way and he would show her how easily he could take her.

He felt her orgasm begin and something in the back of his mind told him to quickly get her to give him the necklace, knowing that in that blissful moment, she would not be able to deny him anything. But the larger part of his mind and certainly his body, was solely focused on the delicious sounds coming from her throat and the way her hips bucked forcefully against him.

The feeling of her walls contracting against him caused him to groan loudly and he felt her nails dig into his back as he was forced to slam his hand to the wall, leaning on it for support as his own release built up. With a few more powerful thrust he finished inside her, his hand on her thigh clenching, his fingernails digging in to the point where they almost drew blood.

After a moment of nothing but the sound of their ragged breathing filling the room, Loki stepped back, sliding out of her and watching undeterred as she let her body sink to the floor, still gasping for breath. He waved his hand and his clothes reappeared in an instant, he made no move to assist her in the same way. Instead he sneered down at her and withdrew his influence that had caused her to become so lustful toward him in the first place.

He smirked as her eyes widened and her breathing slowed, the realization of what had just happened causing her heart to beat so loudly that Loki could hear it even from where he stood.

"Do you feel like a whore now little spider?" He asked, unprepared to let her comment go, willing to torment her because of it. "You certainly look like one."

With that he swept from the room, aware that she was reaching for the fallen blanket to try and cover herself. The further his feet took him away from her, the more confused him mind became. She had ruined yet another of his plans with simple words, getting under his skin like no one had managed to do for a very long time. And he was still no closer to getting his hands on the necklace. At least his body had found a release of tension and that thought made him smile. Perhaps it would be a shame to slit her throat as soon as he had finished his task. She could be handy to keep around. She certainly gave him an enjoyable experience, it was clear as to why she was so good at her craft. He would have to be wary of the power that her body was starting to have over his mind, he mustn't let himself lose focus from his task. But what was the harm in enjoying himself?


	7. Unwelcome Interruptions

**I am really sorry, but there is going to be a few inaccuracies in here. Especially with the Infinity gauntlet. It's mostly so that I can get a crazy story line centred, hopefully It's not too unbearable, sorry about that.**

* * *

"I'm sorry, can you just repeat that whole last point?" Tony asked with a slightly sarcastic drawl to his voice. Normally the rest of the team would be annoyed by the tone of his voice, but they were all as lost as he was. Thor took a breath, his patience remaining, he understood that it was a lot to suddenly take in.

"The Infinity Gauntlet is a device that was created a long time ago, by one of our most powerful magic wielders-" He began but Tony waved his arm, cutting him off.

"Yeah yeah, got that part, some magical dude made a cool thing, go forward to the stones would you?"

Thor just nodded before continuing. "A stone was taken from each of the realms, representing the power of the nine realms-"

"Including Earth?" Clint interrupted, but Steve pointedly shushed him.

"Yes, including Earth." Thor confirmed. "It was deemed to be perhaps the most powerful thing in the Universe and therefore, the most dangerous. Not long after its creation, another of our great sorcerers, Garnos, came to my father and pleaded for him to destroy it, fearing its power-"

"I'm not surprised, sounds like something nobody should have really." Tony said and this time everyone shot him looks of annoyance. They were anxious to understand the story and his constant interruptions were not helping. The team had gathered in Tony's tower since it was his equipment being used to try and track down Loki again, but with no results so far. Everyone was on edge, Tony and Bruce were still miffed that Loki's presence had been kept from them, but every time they tried to bring the subject up, Clint would yell about Natasha's whereabouts being a more vital topic.

"Stark if you open your mouth one more time, I will close it permanently." Fury threatened, in no mood to deal with Tony and his snide comments. Before Tony could reply, Thor hurriedly continued his explanation.

"As I said, it is vastly powerful and Garnos was right to be concerned. But my father refused to destroy it, not completely aware of the dangers that could arise from having the Gauntlet in his possession. Though it may have been because he also saw it as something that would ensure Asgard would be held in higher honour than all of the other realms."

"What an egotist."

"Stark!" Fury growled.

"Sorry, sorry, last time. Continue big guy."

"You are not grasping the seriousness of this situation." Thor frowned. "Garnos did not accept my father's answer and he made the decision to try and destroy the Gauntlet himself. He must have informed someone of his plan, I am not sure who, but word of his deceit got back to my father and Garnos was banished from Asgard, cast out for his betrayal. It wasn't until much later it was discovered that even though he had failed in his task, he had managed to steal one of the stones. His sorcery allowed him to create a most convincing fake, but his trickery failed eventually and my father was not pleased when he found out."

"What happened to this, Garnos?" Fury asked, realizing Thor had reached a pause in his story.

"He came here, to Earth." Thor explained. "He had of course stolen the stone that came from this realm, meaning that it would only be safe and untraceable as long as it was here."

"And this ties in with Natasha…how?" Clint asked impatiently. He didn't give a shit about all the magic and sorcery, he wanted his partner back. Every moment that passed filled him with more and more fear that Loki had either killed her or taken away her mind. He shuddered at the thought but it went unnoticed.

"Last night when I became aware of Loki's presence in the tower and went to find him, I caught only a short view of Lady Natasha before Loki transported them both away-"

"I have a point to make about that." Fury said, annoyance filling his tone and he turned to Tony. "You assured me that the security systems of this tower were, and I quote 'unbeatable, unhackable and God-like.' Care to explain the reason that Loki's presence here went unnoticed until _he_ picked it up?" He asked, nodding in Thor's direction.

"Uh, yeah, JARVIS? Tell the Director what you told me." Tony said, tilting his head to the ceiling, though there were speakers in various points around the room and not just the roof.

"The previous morning Miss. Romanoff requested that the cameras to her room be taken offline." JARVIS informed the group, his tone as calm and collected as always. "She neglected to make the order of putting them back online. Her room was disengaged from the security feeds at the moment that she was taken."

The group was silent for a moment before Steve spoke up for the first time since the meeting was called. "Is it possible, that she is working with Loki?" He asked.

Clint stood up with such a speed that his chair toppled over, "Are you fucking insane!" He spat in Steve's direction, instant hatred crossing his face. "She was kidnapped by that psychotic bastard!"

Steve stood up as well, but held his hands in front of him to try and defuse the sudden tension. "Calm down Barton, it was just a suggestion. Don't you think it's odd that her surveillance feed was _conveniently_ turned off at the time? I'm just trying to look at all the options here."

Clint stared at him with an outraged expression, unable to believe the way Natasha's integrity had been so easily called into question. "She's part of our team you twat!" He half yelled, knowing that his anger was not going to be helping his case, or helping them find Natasha.

"Yes and she's also a spy." Steve said calmly, ignoring the name calling and putting it down to Clint's rage, "What other possible reason could she have for taking her cameras offline?"

"Actually she does that quite often." Tony piped up, actually opening his mouth to offer something useful for once. "It's really not uncommon for her cameras to just suddenly go down at random times. Like when she's getting dressed for example. Since she knows she has eyes on her." He added with a slight smirk, turning a helpful moment into yet another snarky one. But his point had been made and even Steve looked a little relieved. He didn't want to think that Natasha couldn't be trusted, but he knew they needed to have all the options looked at.

"Satisfied?" Clint shot, slightly calmer but still obviously pissed off with his Captain. Steve nodded and the two of them sat back down, Clint pulling his chair upright with an unnecessarily forceful motion.

"Are you children finished squabbling?" Fury asked with a warning growl in his tone, wanting to get the purpose of their meeting back on track. When nobody else made any more ridiculous comments or angry remarks, he turned back to Thor and nodded for him to continue yet again.

"When I saw Lady Natasha, I noticed the necklace she was wearing-"

"Natasha doesn't wear jewellery." Clint said quickly, "It gets in the way and-"

"GODAMMIT BARTON!" Fury yelled, "Shut your mouth or I will forcibly remove you from this room and throw your smartass over the balcony myself!"

Clint looked annoyed but was aware that he was only drawing out the explanation they were trying to get from Thor and he folded his arms, scowling a little.

Thor stared at the group, the ones that had so valiantly stood beside him a year previously when they had fought against the army that Loki had brought to Earth. They had not changed much, they still seemed so petty and ready to fight amongst themselves, but he understood that they were all worried about their missing comrade and he allowed them lenience when interrupting him so often. On Asgard, very few people had the courage to cut him off mid-sentence and if the situation had not been so serious, then he would most likely have found it to be amusing.

"Please allow me to speak, this is very important." Thor said with a commanding tone that brought every eye in the room to rest on him. "The stone that was stolen from the Infinity Gauntlet is now residing around Lady Natasha's neck. Do not ask me if I am certain, or if I think I could be mistaken. You need to understand that I recognized it as easily as I recognized Loki when I saw him in the room. I fully believe that the stone is what Loki has come to Earth to search for. This means that his plan can only be to reassemble the Gauntlet."

Everybody was silent again, rare moments like those were few and far between with the group, especially when Tony was in the room. But as everybody expected, he was the first one to speak again.

"So, is it safe to say that this situation is worse than we all anticipated?" It was a rhetorical question and nobody bothered to answer it.

"How did Natasha come to have the stone?" Steve asked and everybody looked at Clint, he was the one who definitely knew her the best. If anyone would have the answer, it would be him. But he just shifted his shoulder in a one sided shrug, frowning a little.

"Like I said, she doesn't wear jewellery. I wasn't even aware she had any." He seemed like the fact he couldn't give them an answer was bothering him. He knew she had secrets that she had still not revealed to him, but why would she not ever even mention a necklace that was important enough to wear. He'd bought her a bracelet once and he'd had to return it to the store, she had basically explained that she couldn't wear anything like that because it could cause problems while fighting. So where the hell had she gotten a necklace that held a magical stone that was supposed to be in Asgard? He shook his head to himself and ran a hand though his hair, his frown increasing steadily.

"I have a question." Bruce said quietly and all the heads turned to where he was standing in the corner, his presence having been essentially forgotten. "As morbid as this sounds, uh, why did Loki feel the need to take her, why didn't he just… kill her and take the stone?" He spoke hesitantly, trying to word the question as delicately as he could.

Everybody looked thoughtful and Clint was suddenly worried they would come to the conclusion that she would actually have to be working with Loki after all.

"I cannot offer an answer to that." Thor said quietly. Even he was confused as to why that was the case. "But, there is reason to assume that she is in danger if she is with him."

"You think?" Clint said sarcastically, folding his arms even tighter, "Kidnapped by the same person who tried to kill everyone on this planet? Nah, I'm sure she's having a fucking blast right now."

* * *

Natasha's mind was awash with shame and shock, not even fully capable of understanding exactly what had happened. Part of her mind tried to tell her that it had been rape but she was fully aware that it was not true. She had been raped before and what Loki had done to her was so different, but arguably worse. A sicker, more twisted part of her wished it had been rape by physical force, at least then she would have been able to justify that she had no choice in the matter, she would have been overpowered and unable to defend herself. But instead, she had to accept that her mind and body had welcomed the intimacy and had found it _immensely _pleasurable. Her orgasm had been intense, there was no denying that, it had been a wondrous moment and yet once it had passed, she hated every second. She was disgusted with herself, with her body. With him. Such a despicable and evil creature.

Yes, it was far worse than rape.

And she had fucking enjoyed it.

The _only_ solace that she could embrace, was the knowledge of how she had managed to get under his skin and anger him so easily. But that had proved to be such a bad idea.

For almost an hour she sat in a hunched position with the blanket somewhat covering her, using it more for warmth rather than any notion of modesty. She could hear him moving around the house, his footsteps impossibly quiet, yet able to be picked up by her incredible hearing. She had no idea what he was doing and she did not care. She was waiting for him to fall asleep so she could find a way out of her prison.

Magic. Even after all that had happened, she could barely comprehend the idea of it. She had spent her entire life relying on herself and her weapons, scoffing at the possibility of such supernatural occurrences. Loki's attempted invasion had changed everything and forced her to accept that there was so much more out there, so many things that dwarfed her and her place in the world. She had no defence against magic, she could not control it, she could not fight against it and this infuriated her to no end.

The remains of her underwear lay across the floor, ruined and completely unusable, leaving the blanket her only form of clothing available. It sickened her that she held it so tightly around her, knowing that he had been the one that had given it to her in the first place. Slowly, she stood, feeling a slight aching in her lower body that had arisen from the rough sex. The lounge was too bare to offer any viable weapons, whoever lived in the house either had extremely simple tastes, or was simply not there a lot. She briefly wondered why Loki had specifically chosen this particular place to occupy, but then realized that she didn't care. It was hardly important in the grand scheme of things.

Once again she searched the room for anything that she could use as a physical defence against the God, but her mind was reminding her that he had overridden her will. He could easily do it again. He had forced her to enjoy it, to want it with an unrelenting desire and she was humiliated by the concept. From that humiliation, came the need for revenge.

After a long while, she realized the footsteps had stopped and she moved to the doorway that she could not pass through, listening intently. She could pick up no sound, but that did not mean he was sleeping, he could simply be sitting down somewhere. Then suddenly she heard the unmistakable sound of a shower being turned on and she blinked with a little surprise. The idea of a God from another world taking a shower seemed almost strange.

She tried her hardest to break through the invisible barrier, kicking it, punching it, slamming her shoulder against it. But nothing worked and she gave a cry of frustration at being trapped in such an undignified way. Initially she had been thankful he hadn't tied her up to something, but she wondered if this way was worse, taunting her with freedom, knowing that she would not be able to obtain it.

After a childish moment of uselessly beating her fists against the barrier, she stepped back and forced herself to take a deep breath. She had been in similar situations, trapped and at the complete mercy of her captor, though the details were vastly different, she knew that losing her head would not help her in the slightest. She pulled the blanket back around her shoulders, having dropped as she tried to break free of the magical encased room. In her mind she tried to map the house, not having much luck considering the room that she was in, was the only one she had actually seen.

She moved to the window and pulled the curtains back, scowling as she realized the view would not assist her in the slightest. She found herself staring at the brick wall of an alley alongside the house. The wall itself must have belonged to some kind of factory building, considering its height and width, ensuring Natasha could not accurately gain any sort of bearing. She may as well have been tied up and blindfolded, she could walk around the room and she could look out the window, but neither of those things could help her in any way.

Her team would be searching for her, she knew that much with certainty, but if Loki was to be believed then they would have no hope. But Thor was with them, he may know a way or be able to help find her with a method that was not available to her team.

Her hand moved to the necklace again and she very briefly considered just giving it to Loki, if that was what he wanted then he would leave her alone and- No! She cut off her own thought train with an angry expression. She knew damn well that he would not let her live even if she handed over the pendant, but more than that, he was obviously desperate to acquire it. She had no idea why, but if Loki wanted it, then there was no way it would be for a good reason. She would not relinquish something that he was seeking and as long as she wore it, then he could not harm her physically.

He could only infect her mind with his magic.

She would have to take the metaphorical bullet and try to last out against him, she could not risk him getting his hands on the necklace, even if she couldn't understand his need for it.

She was a spider, caught in the web of the Trickster, but she was _not_ defeated and he had _not_ won. She would find a way to free herself and if she could drive a knife through his skull while doing so, then that was just a delicious bonus.

* * *

**I'm sorry for updating so often, I'm just getting hooked on my own story and can't seem to stop writing more. Thank you so much for the reviews, honestly, whether good or bad, I just want to know how I'm doing and how I could be improving. **


	8. Silence

For the first time in a long while, Loki was unsure of how to proceed with his task. As long as the spider wore the stone around her neck, then she was protected against any physical harm he could bring her, or any magic that would cause pain. He smirked as he let the water of the shower run over him, keeping it at a low heat to appease the Jotun side of him. The smirk turned to a scowl as his thoughts wandered onto that more sinister topic. It was no wonder heated baths had always made him more uncomfortable that cooler ones. He was a creature who lived for frost, he was never meant to enjoy hot water or the delicious scents of the bathing that he would receive by the beautiful Asgardian maids. He was an evil being who was supposed to delight in torment and darkness, he was not an Asgardian. No matter how much his 'brother' had tried to tell him that while he had administered Loki's punishment. Pathetic. All of them.

Loki clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, casting his mind out into the house to check on his 'guest'. She had moved from where he left her, not surprising as he fully expected her to continue her attempts to escape. It would not matter, her efforts would only prove to be useless. Loki was one of the most powerful sorcerers ever to have been trained in Asgard. He may not have been born there, but he had certainly been given the powers of one who had. There was no one equal to his range of magic, no one that could come and save the little spider who so desperately wanted to be free.

He stepped from the shower and ceased the spray of water with a wave of his hand, drying his body in a similar manner. There were towels stacked up on a shelf by the wall but he sneered at them, why use mortal methods when he could use his Godly powers? With another lazy flick of his hand, his robes had reappeared on his body and he let out the tiniest sigh, comforted by the familiar weight and feel of them.

His mind was focused on trying to get the stone in his own hands without the agonizing pain it inflicted every time he touched it. If it hadn't been such a serious situation and he didn't have a higher power breathing down his neck, he may have been amused. Garnos was always a crafty sorcerer, his level of magic was higher than anybody had ever realized, he had taken great care to ensure that his true skills had gone unnoticed.

But of course he had confided in Loki about such things, the two had been as close as magical wielders could get, bonding over their talents and enjoying each other's company. The memory of his old friend gave Loki just a moment of sadness before he hardened his stare and waltzed from the bathroom with his hands behind his back. It was so ironic that Loki had been the cause of the stone having been taken to Earth and yet he was now the one who desperately needed it.

He was certain that none of his magic would break the enchantment around the necklace, he had of course recognized the symbol of Garnos, the moment he laid eyes on the pendant. The curled position of the snake was something his friend had used since the very beginning of his teachings and it was in many ways, as unique as a signature. He could also feel the style of the magic and that sealed the notion that an incredibly strong protection charm was keeping him at bay.

He had been walking to the kitchen when he suddenly changed direction with such a speed that the back of his cloak was sent swirling around him. He quickly moved to the lounge and made no effort to be silent as he stepped casually through the door way. The spider turned to face him with a hardened expression as she held the blanket around her shoulders and Loki was stumped by the look in her eyes.

There was no fear, no apprehension of any kind. He had assumed that when he saw her again she would curse him and yell hatred in his direction, all of which would have no effect. But she simply stood there, her head held at his level and her body straightened with what was obviously dignity.

He had certainly not broken her and if anything, this amused him.

"What do you know of Garnos?" Loki asked after only a moment of studying her face. It was her turn to be surprised, whatever she expected of him, it was not a simple question.

"Garnos." Loki repeated patiently. "What do you know of him?"

She blinked with obvious confusion as she met his stare and refused to back down in any way. "I have no idea who you are talking about." She said slowly, annunciating each word. She spoke the truth.

And then Loki remembered something from one of the messages he had received from Garnos after he had been 'banished'. He had taken up guise as a mortal and was using a different name. Loki frowned as he tried to recall the title the sorcerer had been hiding under.

"Rasputin." Loki said aloud, almost clicking his fingers as the name suddenly infected his mind. "What do you know of Rasputin?"

There was a flicker of recognition in her eyes and Loki smiled openly, it was clearly obvious that she knew who she was talking about now.

"Wait a moment." She said, her eyes narrowing in slight confusion, "Are you referring to _the_ Rasputin? Grigori Rasputin?"

Loki frowned a little, he was unaware of the first name but if she was having such a reaction to the mention of this man then she must certainly know something.

"Yes. What do you know of him." He repeated, his patience starting to wear thin as his need for answers became stronger.

"Why can't you touch the necklace?" She demanded suddenly and Loki took great care not to react. This was not something he often encountered. He had given her a display of his power, showing her that he could have her and simply alter her will with ease. She should be on her knees, begging for her freedom, pleading for him to not do it again. He wouldn't have obliged, but that would have been the correct way for her to proceed. Instead she stood tall, her pride intact and her spirit seemingly stronger than ever.

She was a curious mortal indeed.

"There is a protection enchantment around it." Loki said with an extremely casual tone. Clearly she didn't expect him to answer her question and it put her on edge. "You have not figured this out yet? My, you mortals certainly are blindingly stupid."

Again she surprised him by showing no reaction to the direct insult. If he spoke to an Asgardian in such a way, no matter the level of their status, a duel would most likely have been sought after. It made for fun when tormenting the short tempered warriors, but apparently she would not be goaded so easily.

"I have answered your foolish question. Now return the gesture." He watched her eyes narrow at him and she purposely pressed her lips together, showing him she was not about to comply. He lifted his right hand and casually moved his fingers. The blanket around her shoulders began to tug away and she clutched for it by reflex, continuing to glare at him.

"We can do this the easy way, or the hard way. It is your choice Natalia."

"What happened to _whore_?" She shot, pulling the material back around her and clasping it tightly between her fists.

"I believe you started that particular jest." He said, keeping his eyes locked into hers.

"I wasn't 'jesting'." She said heatedly, her composure slipping as her anger took hold. "It's what you are known for right? Sex and tricks. It would only make sense to assume that you had to trick someone into sleeping with you."

_Good, let your emotions consume you._ Loki thought as he watched her eyes flash with rage. He was far calmer than he had been earlier, the same sort of words she had previously used to anger him were not having the same effect. She knew it too, she seemed almost annoyed that he was remaining so unbothered by what she spoke.

"Is it because everyone wanted Thor?" She asked suddenly, an eerie sweetness dripping from her tone. Loki stared into her eyes and saw the rage change to satisfaction, letting him know that his expression was revealing his own building anger. He opened his mouth to speak but she cut in first.

"He's the first born right? The warrior. He will be King of Asgard." The corner of her lips were twitching up as she clearly saw how much he was trying to hold onto his control. "But you were unwanted, even _before_ everybody found out what you are. You were just the creepy little kid who had a fascination with card tricks. So you had to _trick _women. To make them think they actually wanted you. Even though you knew that you _sickened _them."

"ENOUGH!" Loki roared and flung his hand out toward her. Even with the pure rage he was showing toward her she had no fear evident and her smirk increased as she opened her mouth to insult him again. Only, no sound came out. She blinked in surprise and tried again, her satisfaction changing to confusion and then finally to fear. Her eyes widened as she looked at him, her mouth moving to form words that her voice would not assist her with.

They reverted states and Loki became the sneering one, the upper hand of the situation moving in his favour even as she continued to try and speak. The strain of her face and the pink of her cheeks was a clear sign that she was trying to yell at him, but the sound was simply not at her disposal to use.

Loki chuckled, his lips pulled back into a smile that revealed his stunningly straight white teeth. "I told you the necklace held a magical enchantment. It is a protection spell, it will defend you against pain. But not magic that holds no threat apparently. Oh the fun you and I are going to have."

* * *

Natasha closed her mouth and pressed her lips tightly together, she would not stand there and try to scream at him for much longer, knowing how foolish she would appear. She was having great difficulty in controlling the rage that threatened to explode within her. It had been going so well, she had managed to stay so calm even while having delicious visions of slitting his throat as they spoke. And now it was for nothing as he magically took her voice away.

She had gleamed one piece of important information though, the necklace was indeed special, if she was to believe him. Part of her urged her to take every word he spoke as a lie, but it seemed a viable explanation for why he couldn't touch the pendant or hurt her. And why would he want to know about Rasputin? Or Garnos? She'd never heard of the latter, but he had spoken in such a way that made her think they were the same person.

Rasputin was a figure linked in with her own past, though of course she had only just discovered that recently and she had no clue as to how he tied in with Loki. She was desperate to know more, but while lacking the ability to speak, there wasn't many ways to ask him questions.

Though, having taken away her voice seemed to calm him significantly and she was again surprised by how rapidly his moods could change. While he laughed at her, he was in a calmer state and she wondered if she couldn't gleam a tad more information. An idea came to mind, of which she had no idea if it would work or not.

'_Why do you want to know about Rasputin?' _She signed with elegant movements of her hands. Loki's eyes moved down to the gestures she was making, initially showing confusion. His smile faded as he concentrated and tilted his head to the side. Natasha had heard Thor say on one occasion that Loki spoke every language, that he had spent years and years studying languages of all the realms, dedicated to his learning. Tony had called him a nerd. Natasha was testing that comment.

She suddenly saw something in his eyes that she couldn't understand. It almost looked like excitement and Natasha hesitated before she repeated the sentence again, with slower motions.

'_I was…impression…hands…used for…deaf..'_

Natasha frowned as she watched him sign his words, they were hard to understand and his movements were not as smooth as they should be, but she thought she got the gist.

'_Yes, traditionally used for communicating to deaf people, adapted by people such as myself so that they can talk without having to make noise.' _She was very slow, evidently his skills in American sign language were extremely rusty.

"You surprise me at nearly every turn Natalia." Loki said aloud, but with a frown.

'_What happened to whore?'_ She repeated her earlier remark and was stunned by the smile on Loki's face.

"Whores are not this entertaining." He said quietly. If she didn't know better, she would have thought his voice sounded soft, lacking the usual hardness with which he had been using to speak to her.

'_I need to use the bathroom.' _She signed suddenly, her motions polite and calm. She was well aware of the way he was studying her face, trying to read her. She adorned her well practiced blank expression and waited for him to either accept or deny her very simple request. Without another word, he turned and waved his hand at the doorway in a circular motion. After a moment he turned back to her and simply waited. She understood that he had removed whatever enchantment was blocking the doorway and she stepped towards it, pausing hesitantly before walking through.

To her shock, he didn't follow her to ensure she went directly to the bathroom, he seemed content to let her wander and she realized that he probably still kept the barrier around the house. She eyed the front door as she walked into the hall, but she knew she wouldn't be able to get through it.

It felt like she was trapped in a maze but there was no escape, she could walk around all she liked, but she would never actually reach the exit. She moved through the kitchen and casually picked up a cordless phone that was sitting on the bench. Without stopping she continued to roam until she had found the bathroom. There was water on the floor from when Loki had been having a shower and she almost slipped, catching herself on the vanity unit.

She scoffed as she closed the door and dropped a towel over the spilled liquid, didn't he understand the concept of a bath mat?

She pressed the call button on the phone and could have shouted with joy when she heard the dial tone greeting her. Hurriedly she dialled a familiar number and rolled her eyes when she realized there was a toll-bar on the phone, ensuring no calls could be made out of the vicinity of the city. She quickly pushed the buttons that would override a toll-bar and it wasn't long before she heard a familiar voice speaking in her ear.

"Hello? Hello? Who is this? How did you get this number?" Clint sounded almost annoyed, like he had been in the middle of something extremely important.

Natasha pulled the phone away from her ear and started pushing buttons in specific orders. After repeating the word three times, she put the phone back to her ear.

"Tasha? That you? Jesus! Are you okay?" Clint's worry tore through her heart as she pulled the phone away to continue the beeping.

'_Yes. London. Necklace. Loki wants necklace. Can't touch it.'_ Her Morse code was as rusty as Loki's sign language but she knew Clint would be able to understand it.

"London? Is that where he took you? What the hell is he doing there? Thor said there is something magical about that stone you decided to wear, Loki wants it to complete an object from Asgard, the Infinity Gauntlet. Something that could wipe out the Universe. Don't let him get it Tasha. We're going to get you back okay? Just hold on."

'_Yes. Call trace?'_

"Tasha I don't know what the hell is going on, but we can't get a trace from you. Tony is spitting the dummy right now and poor JARVIS is getting yelled at by everyone."

'_Magic. House is under magic spell.' _She paused for a moment and closed her eyes. '_Took away my voice. Fucking magic.'_

"He what!" Clint yelled so loud she had to move the phone away from her ear. The swearing that ensured made her roll her eyes. He seemed more pissed off that she was. She heard a noise from outside the bathroom and hurriedly ended the call, flushing the toilet for the point of keeping up the ruse that it had been her purpose in the first place. She ran the water in the sink for a moment before slipping the phone under the blanket and walking to the door.

She opened it to find Loki staring down at her and she pretended to be surprised, as though she wasn't aware he had been standing there.

"I will give you your voice back in exchange for the necklace." He said calmly. She didn't move, or bother to sign any sort of reply, mainly because one hand was concealing the phone and she would need both to 'speak' to him.

"Natalia, this does not have to be so difficult. I could reward you with your wildest dreams. You could be given anything you desire. Do not continue to show stupidity as an enemy."

Still she stared at him without any sort of emotion, her eyes lacking in the anger that she was feeling.

His lips curled into a snarl and he leaned closer, his face merely inches from hers.

"So be it. I will remove the enchantment that protects you and you will _beg_ for a merciful ending. But I will not give it to you. You will suffer more than you ever thought possible."

Without another word he disappeared in a haze of eerie blue and Natasha let out a ragged breath, knowing by instinct that he was no longer in the house. Her legs started to shake and she slid down against the frame of the bathroom door, only allowing to show such weakness once Loki was gone. She would never give him the satisfaction of knowing he was getting to her.


	9. Scars

**Warning for smutty goodness.**

* * *

He thought he had dealt her a harsh blow. Her words were considered poison, she was a manipulator of the highest class, every time she opened her mouth, she could get whatever she wanted from whoever she had in front of her. As much as her voice being taken had terrified her, she had managed to calm down rather rapidly, understanding that her mind was going to have to get her out of this one. She had searched the house from top to bottom in his absence, but there was not much there to assist in her escape.

A sharp knife was taken from the cutlery draw to be concealed under her blanket along with the phone, she clutched them as though they were her most prized possessions. She didn't know where Loki had gone, he was away for almost an hour and she had only just completed her search before returning to the lounge and sliding onto the couch in an effort to think up another plan to ensure her freedom.

He appeared in front of her in an instant and for all her training, she couldn't help but flinch. Shockingly, he seemed not to even notice and she could easily tell that he was in pain of some description. His ragged breathing filled the room and his eyes were cloudy, unfocused, his skin slighter paler that it had been when she last saw him.

As though he sensed her watching, his head snapped up toward her and he straightened from his pained stance into a more composed one. Clearly, he was trying to hide some powerful discomfort. His lips curled back into that familiar sneer, but Natasha was well aware that it seemed rather forced, as though he was putting on a show for her benefit.

He looked as though he was about to say something, but thought better of it and promptly swept from the room without uttering a single word. She was left even more confused and wondering just what kind of mess she had found herself in the middle of.

* * *

Loki was seething as he stumbled to the bedroom, his hands holding the wall for support. He had to stop and catch his breath, the journey had been _incredibly_ difficult. The magical barriers between the Earth and Asgard had been given strengthening charms from some powerful sorcerers indeed, it had made the process of travel almost impossible. Though it had taken a lot out of him, Loki had managed to visit Asgard but it had all turned out to be for nothing anyway.

He had gone over the letters from Garnos, written in an ink that would only be revealed to Loki's eyes alone, never able to be read by others. Thor had once questioned as to why there was a stack of blank parchment in his room and Loki had told him there was a snake slithering up his back. Loki had not looked up from his studies as his 'brother' danced around the room, trying to wrestle the monstrous snake that Loki had conjured. Thor was always so easily distracted. Despite everything, the short lived memory gave him some amusement that he allowed himself to dwell on for just a moment.

Ah but the letters. He pulled his mind back to reality as he reached the bedroom and scowled at nothing in particular. There had been only brief mentions of the stone and only in reference to assuring Loki it was safe. Garnos had not written about any sort of protection charm he had used for it and therefore there had been nothing to gleam in relation to a counter enchantment.

Loki was a magical master by any standard, but he was well schooled in _all_ the different types. Garnos had focused solely on protection sorcery and this ensured his charms would be stronger than Loki's attempt to break them. He needed to rest, his travel had drained his energy to ridiculous proportions, he could not believe how much magic he had needed to use just to gain entrance to the citadel and make his way to his old room, unnoticed.

Even as he unclothed himself to be dressed in just simple pants, he could not help but let a smile cross his strained face. The enchantments to stop his visit had been inexplicably strong and yet he had broken through them anyway. He would always be underestimated, no matter how much power he displayed to the Universe.

The spider was barely on his mind as he crawled between the sheets of the bed, scowling at how uncomfortable they were in comparison to Asgardian beds. It was embarrassing, he was a King and should be sleeping on only the finest silk. His body was too tired to suffer the malice of his mind and it wasn't long before his eyes closed and sleep welcomed him into its embrace. The nightmares returned as they always would.

* * *

She knew he was asleep, even though she had no idea how her mind came to that conclusion. Her body moved methodically, her legs sliding off the couch and slowly moving her across the lounge to the doorway that she had previously been unable to pass through. He had not replaced the barrier and she continued down the hall in silence, passing through the kitchen to return the phone to its charging unit. The knife however, remained tightly in her grasp.

It had grown dark quickly, she was not surprised given their location and the time of year, it was to be expected. The house was eerily quiet, she made absolutely no sound as one hand clutched the blanket around her shoulders and the other held the weapon she had grabbed earlier.

His breathing reached her ears as she neared the bedroom, it sounded heavy and strained, but it made no difference to her. If he was still in his weakened state, then she had a chance and she needed to seize it. She did not know when she would get another opportunity.

The room was dimly lit, there was no direct light source within it, but a street lamp from outside the window offered some feeble illumination through the curtain. She saw him in the bed, lying on his back in what could only be described as a formal sleeping position. As much as he renounced the claim of being a Prince of Asgard, he had certainly been raised as one.

Her movements were subtle as she slid onto the bed, straddling his waist with narrowed eyes, even as her heart raced within her chest. The knife came out from under the blanket and the blade travelled to his throat, where she could see his jugular pulsing feverishly with the strong beating of his own heart. His face was contorted into something that did not suggest relaxation in the slightest and it only took Natasha a moment to realize that he was suffering from nightmares.

She could recognize the signs while he was in an unconscious state, his body was chilled, a very light sweat could be seen across his forehead and his heartbeat was even louder than hers. She paused in her task for only a fraction of a second, before she hardened her stare and thrust the knife up and into his neck.

A hand flew up from under the blankets as she made the motion and her wrist was seized in a vicelike grip, though not tight enough to cause her pain. His green eyes locked onto hers and for just a moment she saw something she never thought she would have seen from Loki.

Fear.

It was gone as quickly as she had been able to notice it and she waited for him to make the next move, it was clear the upper hand had been given to him.

"You are stronger than you appear Natalia." The voice came not from the man lying underneath her, but from the other side of the room and she snapped her head towards the source. Somehow, Loki stood facing the window, dressed in only pants, with his hands clasped behind his back.

She could see the ridges of his toned muscles, nothing in comparison to Thor's over abundance of freakish ones. But they were there all the same, giving his body an extra impression of elegance. Her eyes focused in the dim light as she was aware of strange lines criss-crossing up and down his back. Her eyes narrowed as she understood what they were.

He had been whipped without mercy, that much was clear. From the different stages of healing and scarred tissue, she could guess that it had been over a long period of time and he had been given small breaks in between, probably just so he could heal slightly, enough for the next whipping to have more effect.

She said nothing, but not because her voice had been taken away.

Her eyes slid back to the man under her, blood escaping from the very small wound she had managed to give him before he had stopped what would have been a fatal strike.

"Have you ever seen a God bleed?" He asked calmly, this time the voice came from both of the figures.

Of course she could not answer, simply raising one eyebrow as if to say 'You are not a God.'

He didn't understand her comment, as she wouldn't have expected him to. She made a move to tug her wrist from his grasp, anticipating resistance but finding none. She was shocked as he simply released her and she blinked in a confused way, not entirely sure how to proceed.

He waved his hand over the small cut and she watched entranced as it disappeared, not even the blood remained. She tilted her head to the side and then looked at the other Loki, not even sure which one was the real one. She pointed to the one standing beside the window and made the motion of bringing down a whip.

The figure underneath her seemed to grasp her meaning that time and he narrowed his eyes a little.

"Are you asking why I have not just magically healed the scars from my punishment?"

She nodded, her expression showing genuine curiosity. Unexpectedly, Loki grinned up at her and shifted his body slightly, as though getting a little more comfortable. She didn't move, she wouldn't have put it past him to grab her as she tried to dive to the side.

"They are infused with a ancient type of magic." He said very calmly. "A type of magic that I was not allowed access to, even when my potential for the craft as made clear."

She was surprised at how willingly he answered her questions, usually she had to put so much more effort into her interrogations but he gave her information freely. It made her suspicious and she narrowed her eyes at him, something that made him smile.

"So tense." The Loki that stood by the window was laughing, his back still turned and he rolled his shoulders as though preparing for a physical activity of some description.

Natasha shook her head at the one under her and quickly made the decision to try and make a break for it. As she had guessed, he quickly grabbed both her arms and held her in place, before she had even been able to move her legs. She watched as the knife moved lazily from her grip, lifting into the air without anybody physically touching it. It rose until it was at eyelevel with her and slowly turned, the point moving toward the spot directly between her eyes. As it touched her skin but without any force, her eyes remained locked into Loki's, she refused to show any sort of fear.

"Fascinating." He murmured softly. The knife flew off to the side and slammed into the wall, buried to the hilt and no longer a threat to either of them.

"Well, now that you are here." Loki purred with a dangerously seductive voice. Without warning he rolled over so that she was pinned beneath his body, even as she tried to fight against him.

"Why do you struggle when you know it will happen anyway?" He whispered in her ear. The feeling of warmth returned to her body and she gasped soundlessly as she felt that overwhelming rush of desire roll through her. She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, desperately trying to cling to her sanity before Loki could take it away entirely.

"Natalia… look at me."

She fought against the impact of his voice, her breathing becoming as unsteady as her heartbeat and she cringed a little as she felt her body relaxing without her will having made it so.

A hand slipped under the blanket that was still wrapped around her body and she tensed as she felt his fingers graze her inner thigh.

His chuckle in reaction to the way she tensed, seemed to echo around the room and her head tilted back into the pillow, her lips parting. If she had her voice, she would have moaned.

_Ignore it. Ignore it. Ignore it. _

Her thoughts were a confusing battle as she tried to both ignore the feeling and embrace it. Loki moved his hand higher and her eyes flew open as he slid one finger inside her, then two, his breath coming out in a hiss at her ear.

From the feel of his body that was pressed tightly against hers, she could tell that he was just as excited as she was.

"See? I knew you would warm up to me." Her hips moved against his hand, her will having been destroyed. She opened her mouth in another soundless moan and was shocked as he pressed his lips tightly to hers. He had not kissed her previously, apart from the way he had with her neck, but his lips had not met hers and she was stunned by the concept.

She had never had much emotional attachment to sex and there was even less with the type she was having with Loki, but kissing was another story. A kiss suggested a depth of feeling and it was for that reason that she refused to match the movement of his mouth.

Another wave of indescribable pleasure moved through her, from both his hand and a magical source, giving her no option to comply with the kiss. Her arms snaked up and splayed across his back as she kissed him back with as much force as he was with her. She couldn't understand how she had not noticed the prominent scars from the whippings, her fingers could easily trace the defined marks. She supposed she had been too distracted and confused last time, her mind had not been focused on the feel of his body.

He tugged away the blanket with a grunt of impatience and his hand was removed, causing Natasha to moan in annoyance. She stilled as she realized that she had heard the sound of her own voice and she met his eyes, noting the smile on his lips as he pulled back from the kiss.

"I want to hear you." Was all he said, before she felt him enter her and the moan that tore from her lips seemed to be _exactly _what he had been referring to. There was a hunger in his eyes as he started to move his hips, the force shifting her even with his weight on top of her body. He was so much heavier than his size would suggest, but it was nothing she couldn't handle and it just added to the pleasure that he was sending through her.

"Make noise for me Natalia." He whispered in her ear, his ragged breathing heating the skin of her neck.

It was wrong, so very wrong. She knew it with every fibre of her being and yet she had absolutely no possible way to stop what was happening. A terrifying portion of her mind suggested that she did not want to stop it. She tried to tell herself that it was Loki's influence dominating her mind, but she couldn't be sure and she could do nothing but enjoy the moment.

"You are such a beautiful woman." Loki murmured and gave a sudden thrust that made her cry out in ecstasy. One hand moved above her head to prop himself up and the other trailed down over her chest and rested on the side of her hip, gripping tightly. He used this new form of traction to increase his pace and guide her hips forcefully even as his own moved at a brutal pace.

She could not stop the moans from her throat as her nails dug into his back, holding his chest tightly to hers. His groans in his ear were more than satisfying as she matched the movements of his hips, her mind no longer able to focus on how insane she was behaving. Later she would feel the shame, but it was far from her mind as Loki pulled her up into a sitting position and forcibly wrapped her legs around him.

She felt her back connect with the head board and her hands moved to the back of his neck, pulling him in for another kiss. She realized he was as surprised by the motion as she had been previously, but after only a moment, his tongue had slid between her lips and she had to fight frantically in a battle for the domination of her own mouth.

He shifted his knees, widening his kneeling stance and by extension, forcing her legs apart even further. In reply, she dug her nails into the flesh at the back of his neck, feeling the very tips of the whip marks under her fingers. He retaliated by further increasing the pace and strength of his hips, moaning into her mouth as she arched her back and angled her hips toward him.

The volume of her moans grew without her consent and he pulled back from her lips to murmur in her ear.

"Say it. Say my name."

It was a demand, an order that she could only comply with all too willingly.

"Loki!" She choked out and yet again his hips became faster and more forceful. She could not believe the power he was able to wield over her, both physically and magically.

"Again."

That single word, spoken with intense lust seemed to bring her right over the edge. His name was torn from her lips at a ridiculous volume as the golden orgasm washed over her and she lost touch with the world. She could not feel the way he was continuing to slam her against the head board, or the way his nails dug into her thighs. His voice was a strangled mess of groaning and incoherent words of a language she did not understand but she was hardly aware of anything other than the extreme ecstasy that shuddered through her body.

As though time had somehow jumped forward, she realized that she was suddenly lying on her back, her naked body sprawled across the bed. She blinked with confusion as she looked down and saw an arm draped over her stomach, her head moving to the side, noting Loki as he slumbered next to her.

Had she really fallen asleep after the sex? It seemed completely impossible, it would have suggested that she had been at a level of comfort that had allowed her body to relax even while next to the man that was still technically her captor. She eyed the knife across the room and moved with stunning subtlety, shifting ever so slightly away from Loki.

His arm around her tightened significantly and her body was suddenly pulled hard against him, murmured words left his lips but she was aware that he was still asleep. Her confusion continued to show on her face as his other arm slid under her and one of his legs moved over her. She was being completely encased by him and he was holding her with a strength that she could not fight against.

As she let herself be clutched, much like a child would hold a teddy bear in a search for comfort, she waited for the shame to return.

It never did.


	10. Connection

_The cracking sound of the whip had become all too familiar to Loki's ears, even in the rare moments when his punishment was paused, he could still hear the daunting echo. After each strike, the silver tipped strap of leather would be dipped into the bowl of clear liquid that sat just off to the side. The powerful scent of that liquid was enough to cause Loki's eyes to water and he knew it was magically imbued to ensure the pain of the whip was only heightened. _

_All the while he was under his punishment, his eyes never left Thor, who was standing in front of him with an absolutely unreadable expression. His muscular arms were set by his sides and his fists were balled with so much tension that his knuckles were startlingly white. He never said a word, either for or against the torture, but he was always there when it commenced and he stayed until the moment night had fallen and Loki was allowed rest until the morning. When it would begin all over again._

_If Loki had not been gagged he would have sneered at Thor, knowing he was only there because his presence as a royal was required, not because of any personal choice. The days repeated themselves with no end in sight and the weeks turned into months as the whipping continued. Loki was bound and gagged throughout the entire time, even over the nights and he was always under the constant watchful eyes of multiple guards. It seemed that an escape attempt would have been entirely futile._

_It had been difficult, but he had managed it even with the excruciating pain of his back that had made even walking a monumental task. The power of the magic he had to invoke had almost killed him and his arrival on Earth had been in a most undignified manner, leaving him in a state of near insanity as his mind struggled to comprehend the magnitude of the energy he had needed to summon. The agony of that trip had completely dwarfed the pain of the constant whipping and Loki had not expected to make it through that moment. He had laid on the ground for hours, his body shaking too violently to even consider moving as blood flowed freely from his wounds._

It was the searing pain of his hands that roused him from the last stages of his nightmare and yet it still took him a moment to understand the source of the intense burning. He could smell his flesh searing as he became aware of struggling from the figure underneath him. Before he could fully comprehend that he was choking the life from Natasha, a powerful fist had connected with his jaw and stunned him enough to loosen his grip slightly. He grunted in pain as he received another blow and he was suddenly kicked in the chest, forced to the side in an undignified sprawl.

Natasha moved faster than he would have believed possible, diving off the bed and falling to her knees, a strained coughing sound filling the room as she hunched over and her body shook with her need to replenish her oxygen. Loki stared down at his hands and winced as he saw the skin was blistering and bleeding, raw tissue showing in a disgusting way. He blew over the wounds and muttered a simple healing spell that completely numbed the pain almost instantly.

"You fucking sadistic bastard." Natasha's voice sounded horribly strained and she was barely able to utter the words before she began to cough violently. Loki shrugged non chalantly though she couldn't see the motion. He had been called much worse and was not bothered by her words in the slightest. He wriggled his fingers fluidly and watched them shine with a soft blue glow, the broken and bleeding flesh knitting itself back together, becoming smooth and blemish free in a matter of seconds.

He moved from the bed and stood, dressing himself in his leather robes with a simple wave of his hand, ignoring the clear distress of the woman kneeling on the other side of the bed. He felt no regret or remorse for his action, only that it had caused himself pain. If she expected an apology then she was going to be sorely disappointed.

"Who is Thanos?" He paled at her question but showed no other reaction as she turned her head toward him, her eyes watering from the coughing that she had finally managed to get a hold on.

"You were saying the name in your sleep." She said, her voice still sounding dry and it obviously took effort to speak. She was rubbing her throat and Loki could see a slight purple shading across the skin of obviously finger shaped marks.

"He is of no concern to you." Loki narrowed his eyes and tried to project his expression in a way that would stop her from continuing to speak. Either he failed or she was more brazen than he assumed.

"You are afraid of him."

Loki sneered at the comment, refusing to acknowledge the increased beating of his own heart and not even aware of the way his fists automatically clenched at the accusation.

"I fear nothing and no one." He said simply, his gaze boring into hers.

"You can try and spin your web of lies all you like Loki." Natasha had calmed significantly, though he could see blatant hatred showing in her eyes, whether she was aware of it or not. "But you were muttering in your sleep and there was definitely fear in your voice."

Anger flashed across Loki's face and he took a step toward her, the small movement prompted her to lunge across the bed and roll to the other wall, yanking the knife from its position and spinning to face him, clutching the weapon as though it was her life line.

"If you touch me again I will kill you." She hissed, pure malice dripping from her words.

"My my, this is such a different attitude to the one you held of me last night." His eyebrows dipped with a look of not so subtle sexual suggestion.

"You twisted my mind for the second time. It was the last time you will do it." She spat, her grip on the knife tightening. She seemed to be oblivious to the fact that she was naked while even in her combat stance. Loki let his eyes slide over her body in a purposeful way, a smirk crossing his lips.

"Natalia…" He whispered with a magic filled tone.

"Fuck off." She flung her arm forward and hurled the knife in his direction, obvious rage fuelled her movement. Loki chuckled as he brought his hand up and caught the blade between two fingers with absolute ease, staring at the shiny silver in an amused way. "You'll have to be faster than that, I'm afraid-"

With his gaze on the knife, he hadn't been fully aware of her sudden approach, his defences had been significantly lowered around her due to his view of her as not being a threat. Her foot connected with his chest and cut off his words, his surprise allowed her to exert enough force to send him stumbling backwards.

"You dare attack me!" He spluttered his words even as her fist flew forward, aiming for his face again. He was ready for her and seized her wrist in a forceful grip, ignoring the burning that radiated across his hand. He yanked her forward, causing her to stumble as she tried to resist him but he was far stronger even with the agony that hurting her caused him. "You are nothing!" He hissed in her face and then threw her across the room. As she connected with the wall and crashed to the ground he let out a snarl, pain exploding inside his own mind.

His hands flew to his head and he clutched at his hair in a maddening way, blinking through the dizzy wave that came over him. He glanced over to Natasha's slumped form, seeing her manage to move to her knees. She placed a hand to her forehead and when it came away, there was a smear of blood on her palm. Loki mimicked her action and felt an open wound on his own temple. His eyes narrowed with a mix of anger and suspicion.

With the knife that he still held, he made an incision along the back of his left wrist and watched her carefully to see if there was any reaction. She was confused and obviously still dazed from her blow to the head, but she showed no pain in relation to the wound Loki had just created on himself.

He quickly moved forward and grabbed her wrist, turning it over and creating a long slice up her arm. She gasped at the pain and so did he, looking down to see blood seeping through the thick material of his robe.

Loki had been raised in the highest circles of Asgard where swearing was treated as despicable behaviour, but even from a young age, he and Thor had delighted in using the forbidden words in secret. Those words flowed freely from his mouth as his mind comprehended the charm that had been used on the necklace and he began to understand the sheer power involved. He could not believe Garnos had been able to access such an ancient sorcery, somehow he had known that it would be Loki that held threat against the wearer of the pendant.

The protection spell was not just one that would ensure the safety of Natasha directly, but it was linked to Loki, protecting merely against _him_. Garnos had created it so her fate was tied to Loki's and the implications were intense. Whether she died by the hand of another, or lived to die of old age, as long as she still wore the necklace, Loki's death would come in unison. But it did not work both ways, if harm came to Loki then Natasha would remain completely safe.

Loki fumed at the realization, if he could not find a way to break the enchantment or remove the necklace then he was doomed no matter way he looked at it. He could see blatant confusion in her eyes and he watched with apprehension as she managed to piece together the puzzle within her own mind, needing no explanation from him to assist her.

She knew that the wound on his head had been caused by the one on her own, though no doubt her confusion was still going to be strong. Loki was not willing to fill her in on the details and he stood up swiftly, not saying another word as he glared harshly at her for a moment and then disappeared, leaving only a blue haze in his wake.


	11. The Bargain

It was a place he had always detested and found every reason to avoid. But it had become a necessary option at least until he could find away to remove the enchantment on the stone. There was a chance, that even if the necklace was taken away from the infuriating little spider, that she would still remain protected under the spell. Garnos was a powerful sorcerer and his magic was legendary, Loki doubted it was as simple as he initially expected.

And so, he was forced to walk through the gates of a land that was the furthest thing from comforting as was possible.

"I did not expect to see you down here."

The cool voice of a female rung out across the darkened hall, before Loki could even see her figure, he could smell her. The stench of rotting flesh easily reached his nostrils as he walked forward with purposeful steps, his shoulders set high and his hands behind his back. It was a formal visit, not a social one.

"Because I did not expect to be here. Ever." His words held more meaning than apparent but of course his host completely understood.

"All warriors think that is the case." She had such a sweet voice, laced with a hard tone. He could see her outline as he neared and realized she had been sitting, high on her throne of twisted bones. She stepped forward to meet him and by her will, dim light illuminated the area around them. Loki would never react as other would to the presence of her form, half stunning beauty, half decaying flesh. But it was always a shock to see her and it always brought a wave of guilt.

"And how have you been Father?" Hel asked with a cloying tone. Loki clicked his tongue and said nothing for a short moment.

"I am here for a reason." He said quietly, his eyes hard as he stared into her good one. The other was milky white and had the appearance of blindness, but he was unsure if that was actually the case. "And I am only here long enough for that to be completed."

Hel laughed lightly and turned to the side, her elegant gown sweeping out in a swishing movement. "Yes, I know why you have come. I know what you seek."

"How?" Loki asked, confused and a little annoyed that she seemed so casual about the whole situation. She turned her head back to him and smiled, one side of her face displaying pure beauty as her lips rose, the other side twitched sickeningly.

"Your name was not one I had ever thought would appear in my book." She laughed again and the sound was so glorious, her green eye dancing with amusement. "Would you like to know how you are to die?"

Loki took a step forward, visibly seething at the comment, anger crossing his expression but of course he bore no threat to her and she continued her derisive laughter. "I will not be dying. You will remove the mortal's name from your precious list."

The laughter became louder and Hel spun around with all the elegance of a ballet dancer, her dress shinning in a series of different colors. As she spread her arms, the grand hall became lit in an instant and Loki glanced around at the bright candles that illuminated nothing but an empty dusty space.

"You are in my domain Father." The laughter died and Hel adorned a vicious expression, stopping in her dancing to stare at Loki with malice. "This is my land, a place of eternal torment where I was sent to pay for your sins."

Suddenly she was back on her throne and resting her arms on the side with a casual demeanour. "How dare you come in here and make demands of me."

"I am your Father! You will do as I say!" Loki was beside her in an instant, his hand around her throat and squeezing tightly, his fingers digging through squishy flesh that was peeling off at his touch.

"You think I am afraid of you?" She smirked in a way that reminded him very much of himself. "You hold no threat here Father. There is nothing you can do." Her voice came out raspy with the pressure of Loki's hand but she was in no pain. She was already dead, there was no way for Loki to hurt her. His lack of control over others was becoming somewhat of an annoyance.

"However." Loki's eyebrows raised and he loosened his grip as she spoke quietly. "I will in fact do as you ask. Her name will be taken from my record."

Despite her agreement to what he was asking, Loki was curious as to why she was going along with his demand.

"There is a condition." She said and Loki nodded.

"I would be surprised if there wasn't." He released his hold on her throat and stepped backwards, his composure returning. "What is it that you want in return Hel."

"A golden apple." She stood up once more and even though she was shorter than Loki, she appeared just as formidable. "That is the only bargain I will accept. You will fetch me one of the golden apples and I will remove her from my list. Thus ensuring her immortality and by extension-yours. No matter what dangers either of you face. And then you can continue to fill my land as you lay waste to the Universe." She waved her hand and an eerie moaning sounded.

Loki turned to see the enormous hall was suddenly filled with ghostly apparitions, hundreds of lost souls that had once been immense warriors but had failed to gain entrance to Valhalla for whatever reason. They moaned and cried out in torment, their sanity and memories having been depleted and leaving them in an endless spiral of agony. To anyone else it would have been a terrifying sight, but Loki didn't even bat an eyelid.

He turned back to Hel and gave her a small nod. He understood that she needed the apple to regain her beauty, the immortality side of the fruit would be pointless as she was already immortal. But such power could take away the rotting flesh that covered half of her body and she would become beyond stunning.

Loki knew he had grown much weaker in his short time with his daughter, it was a place that the living were never meant to venture and he was aware that he had barely enough power to make it back. Hel knew this and was smirking at him as she sat back down again, crossing a decaying leg over a shapely one.

"You must leave Father." She said quietly, clearly enjoying his distress as his breathing became ragged. "If you stay much longer, there will be nothing I can do and your soul will join theirs." She waved lazily at the moaning spirits who were falling over each other, unseeing and unfeeling.

Loki turned on his heel with a swish of his cloak and walked through the apparitions, not expecting to be able to touch them. They seemed so lost and confused, unaware of their surroundings but he heard Hel clap once and suddenly they were mauling him. It was shockingly painful and he cried out as he was bombarded from all sides. He tried to fend them off but neither his physical attacks nor magical attempts had any effect.

They tore at his robes and raked nails across his skin, drawing blood with ease no matter how much they appeared to be nothing but forms of mist. Loki staggered forward, desperate to reach the black gates at the end of the hall, hearing Hel's high pitched laughter following him as though she was right behind him. He almost collapsed at the end of the hall, his energy was running extremely low and he knew he was going to be entirely vulnerable after returning, he could only hope that he could fight the spider off if she came at him with a knife again.

"Bring me the apple Father!" Hel called from across the hall, glee evident in her tone from the agony her army of the damned had caused in such a small time. "Or there will be no deal!"

Loki said nothing, he could not risk even the minute energy it would take him to reply. He sucked in a deep breath, pain flashing across his face and stood up as straight as he could, waving his arm and mouthing the incantation to return him to Midgard, more plans and schemes already filing into his mind as he left the Underworld behind.

* * *

Natasha was at a complete loss as to how to proceed with her new revelation. Somehow, in some fucking magical way, she was tied to Loki and her injuries became his. On one hand, it was a very mild relief, knowing how reluctant he would be to hurt her. On the other, she didn't understand this strange connection and from his reaction, neither did he. This meant his desperation level would rise and he would become even more unpredictable. She was out of her depth entirely.

But she was not exactly an innocent civilian and she wasn't going to just sit around and wallow in her own confusion. She stood with a body that shook from her recent head wound and moved to the wardrobe, finding a pair of jeans that must have belonged to the previous occupant of the house. They were a little too big, but other than that the fit wasn't too bad. There was no female clothing so she had to adorn a shirt without a bra, something that would have bothered her normally but in the grand scheme of her problems, it was only a minor issue.

She knew that Loki would return at some point and it was only a matter of waiting, dreading where he had decided to go. She paced the house for what seemed like hours, awaiting his return with an anxiety that she refused to show. Several times she tried to exit the house but if she opened the front door she was met with a magical barrier that infuriated her.

It was nearing dark when her wait ended, she was standing in the hallway and trying not to think about how hungry she was, after checking the kitchen and finding barely any food. She had been right in her previous assumption that the true owner was not around much.

A crash sounded from the lounge, seemingly Loki's favourite place to teleport to and she cautiously walked up the hall and stood by the entrance. He was an absolute mess, his breathing seemed to be giving him immense pain and he was doubled over, clutching the couch for support. His robes were all but shredded, drenched in blood that may or may not have belonged to him. He was shaking and even as she watched, he coughed painstakingly and toppled to the side, sprawling along the carpet. He was obviously unconscious.

A strange chill came over Natasha and she could have sworn she heard an odd whisper hang in the air for a moment. Hope soared through her and she made a break for the front door, yanking it open and taking a tentative step forward. She met no resistance. Her heart raced as she sprinted down the front steps and across the yard, leaping over the gate without trying to open it. She had no idea how long Loki would be out cold and no doubt he would come searching for her, she still had the stone that hung around her neck.


	12. Escape

For a long time, Natasha simply ran and pushed as much speed from her legs as was humanly possible. She passed many houses that she could have gone into, but instinct was telling her to get as far away from Loki as she could before she even tried to devise a plan. How she had been able to escape, she was not entirely sure of. He had been badly injured, she could clearly see that and perhaps his weakened state had caused the magical barriers to cease momentarily. It had been a small hope but one that had proved to be logical and she was free.

When the breath had gone from her lungs and her legs started to shake, she finally slowed and leaned against a lamp post, trying to calm her racing heart. She had no idea where she was, the housing style did in fact suggest London but she wasn't overly familiar with the city and there was nothing around her that she recognized.

Hardly any of the houses had lights on, she supposed it was getting late and that told her she had been running for a couple of hours. She picked a house at random and hurried up the front steps, knocking on the front door, not entirely sure how she was going to explain her situation to the owner. After a minute of silence she knocked again and felt a surge of hope that there may be no one home. She broke through the side window with ease and the alarm was simple to override, giving her free reign of the house, completely undetected.

The kitchen was her first stop, she was dangerously light headed and needed something to refuel her body, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl in the centre of the room. It wasn't exactly a three course meal but it would have to do. She listened intently as she ran up the stairs to the second floor, just because nobody had come down when the alarm went off, didn't mean there was nobody home. A quick check of the bedrooms gave her peace of mind and she affirmed that she was in fact alone.

As luck would have it, one of the occupants was evidently a woman around Natasha's size, judging by the clothing that was found in her bedroom. Not quite her style, there was an over abundance of black leather but Natasha wasn't exactly in a position to be picky. She chose some of the more toned down clothing and dressed quickly, disappointed to find that they did not share a similar shoe size, it seemed she would have to continue in bare feet.

There was a full length mirror on the door of the wardrobe and Natasha paused to look into it, rubbing gently at the wound on her head. It didn't seem to be a dramatic issue, it had stopped bleeding not long after she had received it and she was a fast healer. The necklace still hung around her neck of course and she lifted it to stare at it more intently. What if she just took it off? It had only caused her trouble from the moment that she put it on, she could just get rid of it and hope that Loki would never bother her again.

A sudden sharp pain moved across her skull and she gasped, her mind filled with images of a man in a red uniform, warning her not to take the necklace off under any circumstances. She stumbled backwards and clutched at the frame of the door for support, taking a few deep breaths to calm herself down. The images confused her, she was sure she had never met the man before and yet he seemed so familiar.

A sudden noise from downstairs caught her attention and she froze, listening to the voices as the front door opened.

"The alarm didn't go off." She heard a man say, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

"Oh Charles, you cannot go one moment without complaining can you?" It was a woman that time and she was definitely pissed off. "Nothing ever works the way it is supposed to. Now you are probably going to try and fix it yourself."

Natasha silently moved to the bedroom window, gritting her teeth as she carefully undid the latches on either side of the frame. She held her breath as she slid the window up, closing her eyes at the grinding noise and praying the people downstairs were unaware of it.

"Wait, do you hear that?" The man said suddenly, causing Natasha to freeze again. "I'll bet that is Amy trying to sneak back in." Natasha pushed the window up as fast as she could when she heard the heavy footsteps coming up the stairs. There was a small ledge outside and she stepped onto it, shuffling to the side and glancing down at the front lawn.

"I can make that." She murmured to herself, just as she heard the door to the bedroom burst open. She leaped forward into the air let her body drop in a controlled position, aiming for the verge of grass below her. She landed in a skilled roll but she had misjudged the height and her ankle twisted painfully under her. She gasped and gripped it tightly, able to instantly tell it was not broken but probably sprained.

"HEY!" An angry shout prompted her to look up and she saw a man leaning out of the window she had just exited through. She said nothing as she struggled to her feet, limping horribly with a pained expression, searching for a police station or any sort of authority building. She needed to contact SHIELD and warn them about Loki. Most importantly, she needed to get the necklace under heavy guard. If he wanted it then there was no way he was getting it.

* * *

Loki had no idea how long he had been unconscious, but while out, his body had almost completely healed and when he awoke he was instantly angry. He could not feel the presence of his 'guest' and he understood that the magical barriers had broken the moment he had blacked out. That was a worry, meaning all his other spells had been broken as well. No doubt he was able to be tracked by both Asgardian and SHIELD methods, it would be useless to put the spells back up.

He stood with a slight shaking and glanced down at his shredded robes, mending them with a wave his hand and clearing away any blood from his skin magically. He would have to leave the house and find the spider before he was tracked. Time was of the essence. To an immortal being, it was a strange concept and one that Loki had never really considered. All his life, things could be done at a leisurely pace because he would never run out of time. Never age unless he chose to, never be subjected to the decay of time unless it was his direct wish.

A sudden chill washed over him and he glanced around, scowling at nothing in particular. The house had just been marked magically, using some kind of spell of which Loki was soon, someone would come and Loki could not afford to be there when they arrived. Without further delay, Loki moved to the front door which was still open and hurried down the front steps. There was no sign of the spider of course, she was much too intelligent to leave any sort of trail, even in her desperation to get away.

He stood at the front gate and closed his eyes, concentrating hard on the energy he could sense all around him. There was so many people in the city, it was far too overpopulated and Loki found it sickening. He had only come to London because apparently they had the best museums there and his hope of finding the stone had started with a search of museums. Obviously he had been looking in the wrong place.

When he found her, he would have to take her somewhere more secure until he could complete his deal with Hel. He could not have a her running around the streets, she could be injured and then it would reflect directly to Loki. If she died, he would also perish in the same way, regardless of how far away from her he was at the time. And mortals were so very fragile. Even highly trained assassins.

As he was mentally searched the city for her energy, he felt a strange pain in his head. After a moment of initial panic it ebbed and disappeared completely. He could only assume it had occurred because of the link between him and the spider, a theory that was deemed plausible as his ankle exploded with pain a minute later.

He gasped and glanced down, stumbling forward and having to lean on the fence for support as he gripped his ankle. He cursed in his home tongue and waved his hand over the area as it began to throb. As the pain ceased and Loki was able to stand, he quickly cast out his mind again, knowing she would be easier to find if she was injured. He received images of her hobbling down a random street, moving fast considering the pain she must have been in due to her ankle. She was clothed with garments he doubted she had found in the house they had been staying in, but was still barefoot.

It was obvious she was searching for something, by the way she tried to glance all around her, fear in her eyes but determination across her face. She certainly was an intriguing little creature.

Loki smirked as he closed his eyes and dematerialized, sending himself directly to her location. It was a definite shock to her as he appeared from nowhere and grabbed her wrists before she had any chance to react. He wouldn't have expected her to scream, she was well aware that there was nobody around that could offer assistance to her and she would not want any innocents to get hurt because of her.

She fought against him feebly but she was no match and it did not take her long to become aware of that fact. She could not run from him, despite his method of teleporting he was faster on foot even when she wasn't injured, there was no possible escape from her. As she calmed and stopped her struggling, Loki was surprised to see the fear in her eyes had been replaced with sheer hatred. It was not an uncommon way for people to look at him, but fear was normally there too and she was showing none as she stared directly into her eyes.

Neither of them spoke, there was nothing to say really. Loki pressed his lips together and gripped her wrists even tighter, transporting them to a new location.

She did not faint that time, much to her credit but she swayed as they arrived and Loki expected her to at least fall on the floor. She remained upright, though weakened and Loki frowned as he felt the same effect on himself, brought on by his connection to her. It was becoming most tiresome. A scream caught his attention and he turned to see a man and a woman hurriedly rising from their chairs, staring at him with fear.

He released Natasha and stepped toward them, commanding the man to look at him and trapping his gaze.

"How many are in this house?" Loki asked quietly, noting the shifting blue of the man's eyes as Loki's wordless spell took effect.

"Myself, my wife and the butler." The man said truthfully, calming significantly even as his wife continued to panic.

Loki lifted his hand to the man's forehead and ignored the second scream from the woman. "A holiday is a good idea. You have wanted to travel for awhile and you have suddenly decided to take a trip overseas. Take your wife, fire your butler." He turned to the woman and placed his hand to her forehead. "Go with your husband, do all that he asks."

The two occupants of the mansion were suddenly calm and filled with purpose, hurrying from the room. A moment later there was an intense amount of swearing and raised voices, before the slamming of doors sounded and two cars started up, leaving Natasha and Loki alone . Loki wasted no further time in placing his magical enchantments around the area, once again ensuring he could not be tracked.

"Where are we now?" Natasha asked, prompting Loki to turn and face her, noting she was holding her ankle off the ground to alleviate the pressure. He could see it was already swelling, though she showed no pain, he was sure she must be experiencing a lot of it.

"We are in Switzerland." Loki told her, watching her eyes widen. It amused him that she instantly believed him. It was not a lie, but she couldn't have known that.

"Why?" She demanded, taking a step forward and having to place pressure on her injured foot. Nothing showed on her face, not even the slightest reaction of pain. Loki was impressed.

"Why not?" He drawled cryptically, smirking at her and well aware of the annoyance she was feeling. She looked around, studying her surroundings carefully. Loki had picked a lavish location, the mansion was certainly an expensive one and it was in the middle of nowhere, surrounded on all sides by dense forestry, there was no one that would come to help her, no one to aid in any escape attempts.

Loki was tired of not having the comforts he had been used to all his life, he was a King and he deserved to be treated like one. He would certainly indulge in such luxury comforts while they stayed at the mansion, using the time to plan ahead. The apple he needed to gain for Hel would not be easy to obtain. But would be impossible for her to get herself. Only someone who did not have the intention of consuming it, could pluck one from the sacred tree and thus Loki could get one as long as it was not for him.

But to travel there would be difficult and would take immense preparation. He could also not leave the spider alone, she was resourceful, she could not be trusted. And of course he knew Thanos would be contacting him soon, demanding positive results, which Loki did not have.

To Natasha's obvious surprise, Loki swept forward and knelt before her, taking her ankle in a gentle grip. She reflexitively tried to pull away but was no match for his strength. A blue glow shone from his fingers as he healed the injury quickly and stood up, noting she was speechless.

"I cannot have you tripping over and beheading yourself." He said casually, giving his explanation for the sudden healing. He felt the need to assure her it had been done so that he would be safe, not as an act of kindness toward her. Still, as he looked into her eyes, he received the feeling that she didn't quite believe him.


	13. The Web Thickens

Natasha hated Loki for his tricks and his magic, she hated him for whisking her around the globe, even further from her team and her view of safety. She hated him for the way he had used her body and yet twisted her mind into thinking it was exactly what she wanted. She hated him for a vast number of reasons and she knew that even with all that hatred, she could not use it to her advantage. She could sit there and seethe, loathing him with a passion but it would not aid her in any way and would only cause her to make even more mistakes, clouding judgement and confusing her instincts.

She didn't try to leave the room, there was nowhere for her to go and she wasn't sure if she would even be able to pass through the doorway, she had no wish to amuse him by slamming into another visible barrier. So, she sat down on what appeared to be an overpriced leather couch and rested her hands on her knees, staring at Loki. He didn't seem to notice at first, he was clearly running some heavy thoughts through his mind. But eventually he either sensed her gaze or needed to check where she was and what she was doing.

As his head slowly turned as his green eyes met hers, she didn't move, didn't react in any way. She continued to stare at him, unblinking and unflinching. He held her gaze for a few moments, not sure if it was some kind of new game or method to ensure her release. She didn't expect him to speak and was a little surprised when he did.

"In Asgard, if a lower member of society stared at an Aesir in such a way, the penalty could be as harsh as beheading." His eyebrows raised ever so slightly as if to convey the hint he was not so subtly coating. She wanted to smirk at the comment, but she kept her face expressionless and that seemed to irk him slightly. "The lower classes should not stare openly at royalty." He warned. It was a direct insult but Natasha wasn't bothered, she had logic on her side.

"We are not in Asgard." She said calmly, still maintaining his gaze. "You are not royalty here. Nor were you there." She knew it would insult him, as was the purpose of the comment and she did in fact smirk as he took a sudden step toward her. Suddenly he froze and his eyes gained a far off look, altering to a soft shade of blue. Natasha stood up in a hurry, confused beyond words at the latest turn of the situation. She refused to step toward him, wondering if he was trying to play her as much as she was trying to play him. He appeared to be frozen in place, the only movement was his breathing but even that seemed subtle and weak.

It was as though somebody had just paused him in the middle of a movement, one foot in front of the other, hands by his sides as if he was about to walk towards her. It was downright eerie and she did _not_ appreciate it.

"Okay enough." She said with annoyance, chills running up and down her spine. "Loki! I said enough!" He didn't move, didn't appear to even hear her, his eyes remained blue and he continued to stare through her. She took a deep breath and walked forward, waving her hand in front of his eyes, half expecting him to jump at her and yell 'boo'. "Stop it!" She warned harshly, yielding no results.

A sharp smell stung her nostrils and she blinked in confusion, recognizing the scent with absolute ease. It held a metallic quality and was admittedly different that any blood she was used to smelling, but it was blood all the same. She glanced down at her body, unable to see any wounds and then looked up at Loki who was just as untarnished.

She felt it before she saw it, a warm liquid touched the tip of her toes and she looked down to see blood pooling around Loki's feet and spreading to touch her bare skin. She stepped back in a hurry, her confusion skyrocketing. On instinct, she moved around behind him in a wide circle, keeping her distance in case of any further tricks that he could still be playing. She gasped as she saw his back, the amount of blood running off him seemed ridiculous and yet it still kept coming, pouring freely down his back and legs, the puddle on the floor growing larger by the second.

At first she had no idea what was going on, all she could see was his robes in a shredded state and his flesh looking much the same. But then she saw a wound open before her eyes, with no assistance from her or Loki, the skin simply split as though it was made of rice paper. Her eyes followed the tear as it started from lower down his back and ran the length of one of his scars, deepening as it rose to ensure even more blood poured out. Another wound opened up before that one had even finished, another scar being turned into a gaping slit in Loki's back and still he did not move, showing no reaction to what had to be blinding pain.

So much blood had already been spilt, Natasha had no idea how he was even still standing. She didn't know what to do, didn't know how to react and it was terrifying for her to have no previous knowledge to call upon. This kind of thing had never happened to her, she was as frozen to the spot as Loki was.

"Loki stop this!" She pleaded, not even caring that her voice had lost that strong edge. "Loki, just, fuck, just _stop_!"

No reaction yet again and she was still at a loss as to how to proceed. Without warning his entire body moved, seizing in what was obviously agonizing pain, a cry tearing from his lips that chilled Natasha to her very core. Here he was, the enemy, the strongest enemy that Natasha had ever encountered, both mentally and physically, yelling with as much agony as half the people she had interrogated over her years. Before she could even speak, he collapsed forward into the pool of his own blood and was once again returned to an unmoving state.

The sound of her racing heart was the only thing she could hear for a few moments, her eyes wide as they took in the scene before her and tried to process it all.

"Loki?" Her voice shook humiliatingly as she took a tentative step forward and dropped to her knees beside him, reaching out to turn his head towards her. One cheek was smeared with the blood that had been spilt in a way that could only be magical. She carefully moved an eyelid and noticed his pupils were almost completely dilated, showing no response to be shown the light. He was out.

She rocked back onto the heels of her feet and cupped her face with her hands, rubbing her temples harshly, letting out a groan. She was in such a mess and it was only getting deeper. The air chilled with striking speed and she let out a breath, watching the mist dance in front of her lips.

"What the hell?" She muttered aloud, looking around for any source that could have been the reason for such a thing. There was nothing in the lavishly decorated room that could have explained the sudden change in temperature, which was sending a creeping numbness into Natasha's limbs as she blinked suspiciously, eyes still darting around the room. Was it because of Loki? She looked back to him and saw nothing that would suggest he was at fault, though for all she knew it was entirely subconscious.

A voice, a whispering voice with a noticeable rasp cut through the air and caused Natasha to freeze once again.

"_Coming for you…."_

She gasped as heat flooded the room in an instant and the shaking of her body slowly stilled and she was left wondering if the sudden cold spot had been entirely imagined. She was exhausted, she was starving and dehydrated, it was entirely plausible that it was just a hallucination.

"Yeah right." She muttered to the logical side of her mind as it tried to reasonably suggest she was losing it. A sigh escaped her lips as she looked back to Loki's unconscious form and inched towards it, still expecting a sneak attack. For a full minute she just watched him, waiting patiently, knowing that with each added second, he was most likely not faking anything. Which was admittedly scarier than if it had been a trick.

If he was the strongest enemy she knew and had just been put through an invisible meat grinder by an even more powerful enemy, then it was obvious any control she had on her situation was void. With steady fingers, she reached over and carefully pulled his robes away from the mess of ripped and torn flesh of his back. The material was thick and held a few layers, but it had been shredded and was mere scraps, coming free in her hands.

She had been around fatal wounds and plenty of gore before, but this was different, this was worse than any rabid animal attack she had ever seen, or any crazed work from a psychotic knife wielder. There was every sign that Loki should not even be breathing and she had to constantly check his pulse to prove to herself that he was still alive.

She was urged to run, to escape while he was incapacitated, or even to finish him off. But that strategic side of her mind was putting the pieces of the puzzle together and the assassin in her was beginning to understand the situation. Loki was working for someone else, someone who must be powerful enough to wrangle a God into servitude, someone who wanted the pendant that hung around her neck, providing her with protection. There was still a lack of information that could have finished the puzzle completely but one thing was definitely for sure, there was bigger fish out there than Loki and they would be coming for her in one way or another. She needed answers, she needed to plan and for that she needed Loki to be conscious.

Feeling like a traitor of the lowest calibre, she stood and moved through the large house, locating a bathroom with a fairly decent first aid kit. It was still sealed, never having been opened and she was pleased to find the equipment used for stitching inside. There was a few bandages but with the amount of blood Loki had spilled, they would be useless. She took the kit with her as she moved into what had to be the master bedroom and pulled a sheet off the bed, noting the softness and quality of the material, it was about to become one hell of an expensive field dressing. On a whim, she grabbed one of the golden pillows and hurried back to the lounge where Loki had not moved and continued to bleed on the carpet.

She pushed the pillow under his head, not being as gentle as she could have been and yet not caring. She had given him a pillow, that was enough points in her favour. There was no way to justify what she was about to do, other than to convince herself that it was in her favour, to get information from him. The expensive sheet was torn to shreds and she needed to use all of it to soak up as much blood as possible, tossing each strip to the side as it was turned to a deep red color. The wounds on his back were shockingly deep, each followed the length of his scars and it took a long time for Natasha to stop the bleeding.

"You're lucky this isn't the first time I've had to play field doctor." She muttered aloud, almost feeling silly. She threaded the needle and didn't bother to sterilize it or the wounds, she doubted Loki would be susceptible to any infection the Earth could offer and the main focus was to get him stitched up so he didn't bleed out.

She worked methodically, trying to be fast and thorough, without compromising the wounds or making them worse.

"I'm sewing up a God." She chuckled lightly to herself, biting at the thread before starting on another wound. " A God who tried to take over my planet, who killed without mercy, who is still killing and still continuing to be my enemy, locking me up, twisting my mind. I have finally gone insane."

If she ever got out of her predicament, she was going to volunteer for a _full_ psychiatric assessment with SHIELD. And then she was going to get a second opinion.

It was hours before Loki woke and Natasha had almost fallen asleep herself, having finished the stitches and moved over to the couch. She had been sitting up for a long time but her exhaustion was taking its toll and she had allowed herself to lie down, keeping her eyes on Loki as much as she could. He stirred slowly at first and she heard him groan but she didn't bother sitting up again, she was far too tired to even move.

"Don't jerk around." She warned, blinking sleepily, hours of waiting patiently had taken a lot of her energy, not to mention the general stress that her body had been thrown through recently. "You will break your stitches."

He turned his head to look at her and she noticed the color had certainly returned to his cheeks, though he still appeared to be pale, not a surprising thing. Slowly, he raised himself off the ground and grimaced in pain, letting out a breath as he stood fully and gazed down at the blood that covered the front of his robes after he had fallen in the pool of it. His mind was almost audible as it whirred to process the situation he had found himself in, rapidly understanding what had happened.

"You attended my wounds?" He asked in a way that told her he was shocked, clearly it wasn't something he would have expected.

"You were going to bleed out." She said calmly, pulling herself into a sitting position and drawing her knees up to her chest. If it made her appear vulnerable, she didn't care. She was tired and everything was taking its toll. "From wounds that just happened to open on your back, with nobody touching them. And then, when you had dropped like a rag doll, the room damn nearly froze and a creepy voice declared to be coming for me."

She watched him carefully, she knew if he reacted it would be well hidden, centuries of perfecting his composure could aid him to hide anything. But she knew what to look for and she did in fact notice the miniscule twitch above his left eye. He started to mutter words she couldn't hear and she felt a breeze enter the room as Loki glanced up at the ceiling, continuing to weave what could only be spell work. His eyes, which had reverted to green, seemed to be almost glowing.

She could see the strain it was causing him, his face was contorted in a grimace and he was beginning to breathe heavily, when he finally stopped the magic his knees were shaking and he had to hold onto the wall to keep himself upright. Natasha didn't speak for a few moments, she was unsure of what to say and she was aware that she was treading on dangerous territory with Loki. She may have tried to help him, but she doubted he would see it that way. He considered her an insect, no doubt it would be great insult to him if such an insect had needed to assist him.

"Are you going to tell me what happened?" She asked quietly, her eyes still studying him as he glanced around the room.

"I owe you no such explanation." He turned to her, straightening even though it was obviously painful and glared at her with malice in her eyes. She wasn't bothered and she'd had enough. Perhaps she could blame her exhaustion for her next actions but either way in hindsight she would consider herself to be stupid. She stood, smoothly and purposefully, locking her eyes with Loki and adorning an expression she knew would show her anger.

"Bull. Shit." She stated, taking a confident step forward. "You dropped, right here, in a pool of your own blood. Unconscious. Unmoving. Completely at my mercy. I could have taken a knife and split your skull. I could have continued whatever fucked up torture you had just been put through. I did neither. I actually helped you, you ungrateful, pompous, son of a bitch." She walked forward as she spoke, untill she was right in front of him, glaring up at him with her rage increasing. "You keep me trapped like an animal, bring me into a fucking war that has nothing to do with me, twist my mind, drag me round the world, deprive me of sleep, of food. And you fucking drop to be at my mercy. You fucking bastard. The very _least_ that you owe me, is in fact an explanation. So start. Fucking. Talking."

Her outburst seemed to surprise Loki and to her utter shock, a snide smirk actually crossed his lips.

"Natalia. There is more to you than meets the eye. You truly are a fiery little thing."

It hurt like absolute hell, but her fist came up with too much speed for him to follow and connected with his jaw. Pain flared across her knuckles and she didn't care if they were broken, it only made her more satisfied, knowing Loki would feel that pain as well. She awaited a counter attack, knowing that if it came there would be no way to stop it. But Loki just reached up and caressed his jaw, pushing it until it clicked and then looked back to her, pointing toward the couch she had previously been seated on.

"Sit." The single word was laced with magic and Natasha walked back without any will until she had dropped onto the comfortable leather. Loki waved his hand and the blood on his robes was removed, along with the blood on the floor. She watched him carefully as he moved to the other couch and sat with elegant posture, the position causing pain across his back but he inhaled sharply and fought through it.

"I will tell you what you wish to know." He said quietly and Natasha leaned forward, her full attention being captured by the man that she had every reason not to trust.


	14. Is There Only Black and White?

**So this chapter is one hundred percent completely dedicated to the user Danzig and Hildanski, for giving me such an awesome review that I was pretty much grinning for the whole day after I read it. Thank you so much for that, especially the positive bit about adding Rasputin, how could I not though? That guy was killed about seven different ways until one of them finally stuck. A world renowned healer, who **_**must**_** have some hidden magical talent. So yes, thank you :)**

* * *

"What do you want to know?" Loki prompted, a hint of impatience seeping into his tone. Natasha had remained silent after he told her he would answer her questions, doing little else other than stare at him with obvious confusion. Loki understood, if he switched the circumstances, he would not be trusting a word that came out of his captors mouth. He was after all known as the God of Lies, it would be foolish of her to lay any trust on him in the slightest. "Speak, or I will remove your voice again."

This seemed to encourage her to comply, momentarily shoving aside her confusion to focus. As soon as she had an objective, Loki saw the change in her, physically. She sat up straighter, her eyes lacked their tired look and her expression reverted back to its blank default setting. He could still tell she was exhausted, but she seemed to be ignoring that to concentrate on him.

"Why me?" She asked as a starter, which Loki had expected completely. "Why am I the one who gets to be thrown in the middle of this other worldly mess?" She held a hint of indignation that reminded Loki that she truly did come from a royal line. She may not have been raised as royalty, but it seemed to be in her blood and something she could not escape. Truthfully, Loki did not want to have to explain it all to her. Not just because he didn't want her to know anything, but because it would be tiresome and he himself did not fully understand it all.

But as he shifted ever so slightly and felt a wave of pain from across his back, he was reminded of the mercy she had showed him, mercy he did not want and did not deserve, yet had received. It irked him, to think that she may have thought he was in her debt. Killing her was something he would be looking forward to, once he had removed the charm around her of course.

"That question holds complicated answers." He said almost cryptically and was amused by the way her expression became even more hard set, clearly she was not in the mood.

"Try and simplify it." She said, clipping her words to show her frustration. Loki seethed at the commanding like statement, but said nothing to indicate his mood.

"From what I can understand, that stone was given to a member of the royal Russian family a very long time ago." Loki had a natural flair for drama, in the great banquet halls of Asgard, he would often narrate an adventure that he and Thor had been on. Thor would be the star of course, acting out his previous actions to the delight of the feasting spectators, as Loki weaved words and magic to make it a captivating show. Oh how the people had clapped for Thor, the woman fawning, the men showing their pride of the powerful Asgardian Prince. And Loki, at the back, was forgotten. As though he had not been on the adventure, as though he had not fought the beasts with his 'brother'. Thor had always tried to share the credit with Loki, professing how many times the sorcerer had saved him from certain death.

But no one would believe it, Loki was the liar, Thor the golden son. It was always assumed that Thor was trying to be generous toward his younger brother, pretending Loki had been more involved than he was. When Loki lied, people believed him. When he told the truth, they did not.

As he spoke to Natasha, he could feel that natural dramatism peeking through. As if he was telling a grand story. But he reminded himself of the situation and became utterly serious, his eyes locked to hers. He had not been kidding about what the punishment had been for staring at an Aesir, it was strange to have someone so openly stare at him.

"Garnos was an exceptionally powerful sorcerer. Only I was aware of his true skills and even now it seems he tricked me as well." Loki allowed himself a small smile, he was known as the trickster but he had fallen for a ruse as well. "You know him as Rasputin of course. From your reaction when I first mentioned him, he must be rather well known in this world. I am not surprised, he was something of a legend among the sorcerers of Asgard. And beyond our world too."

"He was your friend." Natasha said when he had paused for a moment in his story. He narrowed his eyes, realizing his face has softened as he spoke, revealing more than he intended.

"Yes." He was forced to admit, but he did not elaborate into any details regarding that, deciding to skip forward. "A long time ago, he left Asgard. He-"

"Why?" Natasha interrupted, annoying Loki to no end. How dare this mortal think she could show such insolence to him? It took great restraint to remain calm. One day. One day he would be able to punish her for the way she got under his skin.

"To save it." He said simply and saw a note of surprise cross her face. "The stone around your neck is part of a device that quite literally has the power to wipe out the Universe. The device itself, which needs all the pieces to work, resides in the vaults of Asgard. Impenetrable. To most." He smirked ever so slightly, remembering when he himself had opened the door for a select few Frost Giants. His magic was like Garnos' in the respect that he was underestimated vastly. To the assassin's credit, she remained silent, appearing to be listening intently, while still on edge. Clearly she was trying to be ready in case of an attack.

Loki could feel his back healing, very slowly. After his punishment from Thanos, he knew his magic would have little effect, but his natural healing seemed to be taking over and using only a little magic to complete the job. He recalled what Natasha had said about the temperature changing and the voice that echoed through. It could only be Thanos. This boded ill for the both of them. Thanos had been inside Loki's mind and knew of the connection between them. Loki knew that his tormentor would not hesitate for a moment if he knew he could hurt Loki by hurting Natasha. However, Loki had one slight advantage, Thanos had not been in his mind long enough to discover the agreed deal between Hel and himself. He needed to get to the apple and take it to his daughter, before Thanos found them.

As soon as the bargain could be made and Loki's existence sealed, he could concentrate on removing the enchantment surrounding Natasha. Then her fate was irrelevant, he would get Hel to put Natasha's name back into the book and yes, he would be killing her himself. Slowly and painfully. Until then, no harm could come to the fragile human, or it would correspond to Loki. He realized he was going along his own thought trail as she waited for him to continue, her focused gaze remaining on him.

"I was the one that helped Garnos steal that stone." He said with a lazy flick of his hand. "I assisted him into the vault and I created a forgery that was impossibly convincing." Loki knew that all believed Garnos had gone in alone and created the fake stone himself, which was exactly what Loki needed them to think. The two had tried to destroy the gauntlet together, their magic combining to become immensely powerful. But it had been more complicated than they thought. In the brief window they had allowed themselves, they were not able to complete their task and they were discovered by the guards. Garnos had fought them while Loki shrouded himself and replaced one of the stones with a fake.

He had not purposely meant to take the Midgard one specifically, it had just been the first one he tried to remove. He wondered how different it all would be if he had taken any of the other stones. A extra second to turn the device and opt for another stone, could have ensured he side stepped all this mess completely. His knuckles cracked loud enough to snap him from yet another mystical day dream.

"So, you were helping to save Asgard, clearly your intentions were good." Natasha was trying to figure it all out, using information that she did not have access to, which made it all harder. "So why are you so evil now?" She asked bluntly.

The question caused Loki to stand up, ignoring the searing pain that rippled across his back. "You humans are so stupid it is beyond anything comical." There was a hiss in his tone, he knew that she would be aware she had hit a nerve. He watched her rise as well, her body tensing as though she was anticipating him to attack. "You see and think in black and white. To you pathetic creatures, one must be either good _or_ evil. There can be no in-between, no circumstances that complicate the situation."

She seemed quite surprised how angry he was getting as he spoke, no doubt because he had seemed so calm before. She opened her mouth, confusion rippling across her face, before she seemed to pull back her composure, becoming resolute once again. "You don't think I know you are planning to kill me the moment you can?" She said, fairly. It was true of course. "You are leaving a trail of destruction in your wake. You want this stone, so you can rebuilt this… device that can wipe out the world. I know you are working for someone. Do you seriously think this person will spare you after you help him?"

Loki turned away at that moment, his fists balling. She was breaching subjects that were beyond her understanding. Of course he did not think Thanos would let him live, he was not a fool. But the powerful being had promised something that Loki hoped he would not back out of.

"Loki, look at me." Loki looked up, more out of shock that she continued to make commands, than actually following that command. For a second, just a split second, he saw a wave of emotion in her eyes and knew it was because he was showing emotion in his own eyes. Whatever she was about to say, seemed to die in her throat.

"You know I will not give you the necklace." She hardened her expression, the fleeting emotion disappearing in an instant. "You cannot remove it from me. You cannot hurt me." She was far too sure of herself for Loki's liking and yet it appeared he could not do anything about it. He thought she was making a point, but what she said next stunned him completely. "How is your back?" She asked with less of a stone expression. Loki had to force the surprise from his face, remaining completely calm.

"It is fine." He said, eyeing her warily, searching for the reasoning behind her question as though it was a trap of some kind.

"You are lying." She said with a barren hint of amusement. Instantly Loki remembered when he had first taken her and asked if she was cold. She had lied and he had picked up on it, giving her a blanket. "Turn around." Natasha said, taking a step toward him. Loki almost hissed at her.

"How dare you continue to give me orders!" He shot with pure malice. She appeared to be completely undeterred, moving around behind him to check his wounds. Loki was too shocked at her blatant disregard for his anger to do anything to stop her.

"They are almost healed." She said from behind him, pressing her fingers gently along his skin. Loki closed his eyes, enjoying her cool touch that eased the burning. His eyes opened suddenly when he realized it would only take a flick of her hand to cause him immense pain. But she moved away a moment later, not attempting to injure him any further. Loki turned toward her, seeing her wipe away the blood onto her clothes.

"That attire does not suit you." He said, honesty in his words if there ever would be. She looked up and he could see the exhaustion had returned to her face.

"There wasn't much of a selection in the house I broke into." She said calmly. Loki wasn't sure, but thought that was as close to a joke as he would ever get from her. She seemed too tired to realize she had engaged as something as casual as a joke with him. "Why didn't you just kill the people in this house?" She asked, once again, her question setting him off guard. "You clearly have no problem killing, I don't understand why you spared them."

Loki actually smiled at her, though it wasn't exactly a warm one and there was evident pain in it. "You humans." He said quietly. "Only see in black and white. One must be either good, or evil." He repeated his words from before. He had thought, of anybody, she would be the one to understand the existence of a gray area. An assassin who now fought for good. She had been given a second chance.

He took a moment to enjoy the sheer confusion that returned to her face. No doubt this was a woman who knew exactly what she stood for and her limits. Being presented with contrasting information would throw her off guard. He chose that moment to leave the room, ensuring her state of wild confusion would be prolonged. He needed rest as much as she did, though neither of them would be willing to let their guard down while the other was in the room.


End file.
